The Unexpected Family
by The.Rayvenwolves
Summary: Cana needs help on a job, and Natsu's her best option. But when things go wrong they end up as the adoptive parents of a baby girl. Life just won't give them a break. Natsu x Cana pairing. Rated M in case I get a bit graphic with my writing.
1. Chapter 1

S.R: I'm just going to do a disclaimer and then get right into the story. Mostly because I can't think of anything witty to do as an Author's note.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL. I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS. I ONLY OWN THE OC's SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR THIS STORY.

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"Excuse me. Are you the one that posted this request?"

A slender and beautiful brunette woman asked as she approached an older man who was looking down into the valley below them.

"Yes, you've come to handle the creatures that are destroying our vineyard?"

"That's right sir. I'm Cana Alberona, from Fairy Tail. Though I have to ask. Is there anything you can tell me about these creatures that isn't on the request form?"

The elderly man nodded his head, having already spotted the woman's guild mark on her exposed stomach.

"Not really. The ground is so torn up that we can't even give you a proper estimate on how many of them there are."

"Right, well the I'm going to take a look around and see if I can get any ideas on how to handle this."

The woman said before walking down the trail that lead into the valley. Looking around as she moved, the mage noticed just how bad the damage was. The ground was torn up, enough so as to make identifying the footprints of the creatures impossible. The vines and wooden poles that the grape vines hung from were smashed and shredded. From her position half way up the hill she noticed several areas that seemed far more damaged than others. Deciding that those locations would be a good place to start her investigation the brunette sped herself up. At first she didn't notice, but after standing in the center of a rather sizable ring like section of the vineyard she realized it was warm.

"It looks as if something was trying to stamp everything down and forcefully make a clearing..."

Cana muttered, wondering what exactly was going on with the creatures. As far as the woman knew making a clearing like this was something monsters and animals did only when creating a home for themselves. But that wouldn't explain why she found no trace of the creatures anywhere. At least not until she heard a faint and distant roar.

The sound reminded here of the shouts from the Dragon Slayers when they were enraged. But it was familiar for another reason. The **Card** mage had taken a job once before that resulted in one of her most useful spells, but it was also the hardest quest she'd ever taken. She had to fight a blizzardvern. Which was a high level ice wyvern. But the roar was not as deep and booming, or as commanding a sound as the Dragon Slayers roars, or even the wyverns. Which meant it was a drake, the smallest and weakest of the creatures that made up dragon kind (if you don't count Dragon Slayers).

"Well it should be a fair bit easier now, that you're with me."

She muttered as she looked at her cards, the one on top of the deck being the new home for the blizzardvern after she captured it. But the roar was echoed after a moment, not just once but 7 times. If there had only been one or two echoing roars she would have been concerned, but confident she could handle the situation very carefully. However once she knew for a fact there were more creatures than she could handle with her magic alone, she slightly panicked.

"Holy shit! there's at least eight of them?! Fuck I need help on this one."

Cana swore as she began running to leave the valley. It didn't take long for her to find the old man she had talked to about the request.

"Well I've got good news and bad news."

"Alright then miss. What's going on?"

The man said as he noticed that she seemed to be a little shaken.

"First. I've figured out what the creatures are and have an estimate on how many. They're drakes and there's at least eight. I've faced a high level wyvern before, and based off that battle I'm confident I could take on at least two maybe three of these drakes before running out of magic. But eight? I'm not sure, even if I had the chance to rest in between them."

"Young lady, I know that I'm asking a lot but please don't abandon us."

Cana went wide eyed at the mans words, realizing he thought she was saying that the bad news was that she was giving up on the job.

"I have no intention of doing that. But I'm going to need help. I suggest you evacuate everyone from your vineyard and the surrounding area just in case I'm not fast enough. We've got a few stronger members back at Fairy Tail that I can ask for help from."

"Oh, that's good to hear. I was worried you were going to decline the job now that you knew it was beyond you."

"A Fairy Tail wizard never backs down. Once we accept the job we complete it."

"I see. Well then I will do as you ask and start evacuating the area. Please hurry back with help."

Cana just nodded as she began running towards the train station to return to Magnolia.

**3 Hours Later**

'_One of the Dragon Slayers would probably be my best bet… Gajeel probably won't do it, and I'm not sure Wendy's ready for that level yet. That means Natsu or Laxus.' _Cana thought to herself as she ran through the streets back to the guild hall. When she opened the door and glanced around she didn't see either of the two she was hoping for.

"Mira, where's Laxus?"

She asked as she approached the bar where Mira was working.

"Laxus is out on a quest with the Thunder Legion."

"Damn… What about Natsu then?"

"Natsu's out back helping Romeo test something. Why?"

Mira asked when she noticed Cana frowning. It was unusual for the **Card** mage to ask about someone from the guild.

"I need help on my job and the two of them are the best choices."

"Take Natsu. Erza and Lucy went on a job just the two of them and Gray just wanted to relax so you don't have to worry about him being needed by his team."

Mira said as she pointed towards the door that lead to the courtyard behind the guild. Ever since she retired from being an active mage, back when they thought Lisanna was dead Mira worried about everyone. If someone mentioned needing help, she'd force them to find it. It was her way of trying to prevent something like that ever happening again. Nodding at the white haired woman's words Cana moved towards the back door. Before she got half way there though Natsu came through it with Romeo on his back. Happy floated in the air behind them with a smile as he nibbled on some fish.

"Natsu I need your help on a job."

"Alright let me put Romeo down and get a top up from Macao."

The pink haired man said with a smile. He heard the urgency in Cana's voice and instantly agreed. After he agreed so readily Cana let out a sigh of relief, happy that they could get moving rather quickly. Happy just floated along beside him, which didn't surprise anyone.

"Macao I need a top up real quick."

Natsu shouted towards the older fire mage as he approached the man with his son on his back. Macao just smiled as he pointed a finger towards Natsu and purple flames flew out of his hand. Natsu just gobbled them down before saying 'Thanks'.

"I'm all fired up!"

He shouted as he smashed his fists together with a smile towards Cana. She nodded and gestured for him to follow. The two walking out of the guild hall rather quickly with Happy flying behind them.

"So what's the job?"

"Well there's a rather large group of drakes that have been destroying a vineyard in the town west of here. At first we didn't know what it was destroying the vineyard, but I figured it out when I heard the roar… And the seven echoing ones."

"Wait eight roars? Shit we've got to move."

Natsu commented as he started running towards the train station. Which surprised Cana since she knew how much he hated dealing with his motion sickness. Happy just picked her up and began flying at a faster than before. She was confused why, but then she realized Happy was flying faster than she could run. Which meant he understood why Natsu was rushing even though he hated trains.

They quickly caught up to Natsu and bought their tickets, before rushing onto the train. Because she was curious as to why Natsu was rushing them, and because she took pity on him, Cana sat down next to the pink haired man before gently lowering his head into her lap. Noticing that he wasn't feeling as bad as normal Natsu rolled so he could look up towards the ceiling and talk face to face with Cana.

"Thanks… I don't feel as bad as normal like this."

"Don't mention it. You just looked so pathetic I couldn't help but try to make it a little more bearable. Plus I need to know how bad it is if you're willingly taking the train and not complaining."

Natsu took a deep breath before answering, his voice a little less shaky, than it was when he thanked her.

"Well eight is all it takes to make a full nest, or pack of any dragon-like creatures. Wyverns, drakes, dragons, even Dragon Slayers. If it's a full nest of drakes destroying something then it means they're claiming it as their territory. Normally they'll take a couple weeks to claim new territory. First they'll scout out the area, creating a few clearings to sleep in. After that they spend a few days exploring and learning how many animals live in the area. Once they've determined that they start rampaging in a show of dominance. When things get that far, they kill everything that isn't part of the nest."

"Fuck that's bad."

Cana swore after Natsu's response. After that it was silent as they took the three hour train ride towards their destination. But when they got to the valley both could tell something was horribly wrong. Smoke was drifting up into the air, and the valley below them was glowing orange as flames crawled across the land. At the far end of the valley, Natsu's keen eyes could make out the sight of burning buildings. He could also smell that there were people trapped in the valley still.

"Shit. There's still people down there. Cana I'll leave rescuing them to you and Happy. I'll go handle the drakes."

Natsu said authoritatively before jumping down the hill towards where he could smell the drakes. He was slightly pissed off at the fact they were too late to save everyone, his enhanced sense of smell having already noticed the stench of death. Happy used his **Aera** magic to create his wings and picked Cana up, heading in the direction Natsu had pointed for them to go.

Growling in frustration Natsu launched himself at one of the drakes with a cry of '**Fire Dragon's Sword Horn**!' His anger fueling his magic and strengthening it to the point that his flames burned through the scales of the drake he was attacking.

It roared in a mix of pain and anger as it swiped clawed hand towards Natsu. But Natsu just held up one hand and blocked the strike.

"**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**!"

With his free hand Natsu struck, smashing his fist into the drakes chin. The force lifting its body off the ground slightly. Natsu would have continued to attack, but he had to jump back as a tail was sent his way by a second drake.

"_**You've got guts. Why aren't you fleeing in terror like the other ants tried to?**_"

"Why the hell would a measly drake scare me when I was raised by a dragon?!"

"_**What foolish worm would raise a human like you? Maybe we should hunt that traitorous bastard down after we finish claiming our new nesting grounds.**_"

"Don't make me laugh. You're fire drakes so you can't touch me, let alone Igneel."

Natsu commented as he dodged a tail attack once more.

The first drake he'd attacked didn't believe him and unleashed a massive plume of fire from it's maw towards him. But Natsu just swallowed the flames, as proof.

"_**Okay so you've proven your claim to being Igneel's spawn. But that doesn't mean we can't kill you**_**.**"

As if to prove this both drakes attempted to shred him to pieces with their claws. Having expected it Natsu jumped into the air before flipping his body so that he began falling head first.

"**Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!**"

this time Natsu's attack pushed the drake to the ground, causing it to crater.

"Just surrender. I really don't want to have to fight all eight of you assholes."

"_**Never. Once we start a fight, it's to the death!**_"

Internally Natsu swore. He knew that the drakes would be stubborn, but he was hoping they'd listen to him since Igneel was the Fire Dragon King. After all he knew very well that it would be a fight to the death. But, he hadn't fought with the intent to kill since before he'd joined Fairy Tail.

Dodging another tail Natsu attempted to punch one of the drakes in the face with his **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**, but found himself blocked by claws.

"**I can tell you're holding back. That ****halfhearted**** bullshit is going to be your downfall!**"

One of the drakes screamed at him as they both prepared to bite down on him, having caught in in a pincer attack. Natsu shook his head in frustration '_Sorry gramps, looks like I'm breaking one of the rules you gave me back when we first met._' He thought to himself as he pumped his magic into the air around him, his emotions fueling his magic and strengthening it to the point that the heat was enough to bother the drakes, despite the fact they were Fire drakes.

"If that's how it has to be… I'm sorry for not taking this seriously from the start. **Fire Dragon's ****Crushing Maw!**"

Natsu said, shouting at the end as he raised his arms in front of him in the shape of a mouth. The flames of his attack raged around him as they formed a dragons head, before biting down on one of the drakes. Somehow the teeth of the flaming dragon head pierced through the drakes scales, drawing blood.

"**That's more like it!**"

Both drakes shouted, as they attempted to gut Natsu with their claws once more. Jumping over one set of claws and kicking off another Natsu brought his heel down on the head of the seriously injured drake. Using it's head as a spring board Natsu bounced off of it and up into the air. A little bit of lighting began sparking up along his left arm as he activated his magic once more.

"**With the ****flames**** o****n**** my left hand, and the flames o****n**** my right hand… Bring them together.****Fire Dragon's ****Brilliant Flame!**"

With his chant ended Natsu threw the sparking ball of flames from his hands down towards the drakes. The moment it made contact they both roared in agony as the attack caused a small explosion. Happy that his surprise was far more effective than he'd figured it would be Natsu fell back to the ground but didn't move, waiting to see the results of his attack. Both were in bad shape, One had it's wings partially shredded during the explosion, the other was still bleeding heavily out of the bite wounds and moving far more sluggishly than before, but still able to keep fighting so Natsu continued.

"**Fire Dragon's Pulverizing Iron Fist**"

This time Natsu held nothing back, he let his full might flow into the punch, which meant there was a much larger force behind the blow. The impact caused a loud crack as his fist completely shattered the jaw of the closest drake, before it was thrown into the other drakes side, causing them to topple over each other in a tangle of limbs.

"**Fire Dragon's Secret Art Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade**"

Intending to finish them off and eat some of the fire from his surroundings before hunting down the other six drakes, Natsu swiped his arms in front of him in a spiral. The torrent of flames created for the attack raced away from his hands spiraling like a sideways tornado before impacting the two drakes, which caused a massive explosion that shook the land. When it died down and he could see the two clearly they were just barely holding on.

"_**You've bested us… Neither of us can move at this point, and we'll bleed out in a few minutes."**_

"I didn't want to do this. Killing you proves nothing."

"_**It may prove nothing, but killing us will help you grow even stronger. You may be strong for a whelp, but you still have a long way to go to truly be strong. After all the winner absorbs the magic of the loser **__**with our kind**__**."**_

Natsu was shocked by the drakes words. Confused as to why he didn't already know that, and why Igneel wouldn't tell him something that seemed rather important.

"How does that work? Why didn't Igneel tell me about that?"

"**Igneel probably feared you would become like that monster Acnologia… when a dragon ****or dragon kind,**** kills ****another of**** dragon kind, their magic converts the soul of the d****efeated**** into a lacrima, that is then absorbed by their magic to grow even stronger. You don't even have to stay close to the body for long, as it does so near ****instantaneously.****"**

Natsu was silent at that, unsure of how to feel. Yes he was getting stronger like he wanted, but it was at the cost of another living creatures life. But then he heard the approach of another drake, which shook him out of his thoughts. 'Survive_ first. Figure everything out later.' _he told himself in his head as he began eating the flames that had been raging in their surroundings for the entire fight. But the amount of magic he felt return to him sharply increased for a moment, as the two drakes breathed their last.

"_**I'll kill you!**_"

The new drake shouted when it saw the dead bodies of its two nest mates. Natsu ducked under its lunge. Not really wanting to prolong it, he punched straight up into the drakes open neck with a '**Fire Dragon's Pulverizing Iron Fist**" completely crushing it's windpipe. As it struggled to breathe Natsu took a deep breathe before finishing it off by using his **Fire Dragon's Piercing Claw** on top of the drakes head. His foot breaking through it's scales and digging in deep, just enough to deal damage to the drakes brain.

"That's number three…"

Natsu mumbled as he sniffed at the air to find the next closest drake. It wasn't too far off, just out of sight to the east. Taking off like a bullet, he slammed into the drakes side with his **Fire Dragon's Sword Horn**. His impact being similar to what a train would have done as it cause the drake to stagger sideways for a few feet. Natsu's head also slammed into some of the weaker scales on the drakes side, causing them to crack and fall apart.

"_**You bastard!**_"

The drake growled at him before trying to incinerate, the pink haired mage in a breathe of fire. Natsu ate the flames with a smirk.

"Thanks for the free meal. **Fire Dragon's Pulverizing Iron Fist**!"

The moment he finished consuming the drakes flames he lunged his fist hitting right between the drakes eyes, and shattering the scales. Natsu's right arm quickly sank into the drakes forehead, not stopping until his hand smashed into the drakes brain. Because he was trying to wrap things up quickly after the first two drakes he'd killed Natsu wasted no time in finishing the drake off, bringing his count up to four.

**With Cana and Happy**

"Thanks Happy. You can set me down here. Grab those two children there, while I gather up the rest. I should have enough magic to put them in my card dimension to make things easier for us. Take them to the train station. It should be far enough away to still be safe while Natsu handles the drakes."

Cana ordered as she pointed at two young children who could be no more than five years old. Happy wasn't sure how she wanted him to carry two people at once, but he tried to do as she said. When he flew off Cana threw a few of her cards towards the flames.

"**Cards magic: The Prayers Fountain!**"

She shouted, which caused a torrent of water to spray out from the cards. It pushed the fire back enough to buy her time to gather all the people together. There was one safe spot that had yet to start burning in the center of the small grouping of houses. It was set up as a park for the children to play at, but given the situation it was the best place for everyone to be.

"Alright listen up. I know you're scared, but I'm going to get you all to safety. I have a special magic that will make it so everyone can be carried away from here."

Cana shouted to make sure she had everyone's attention. As she glanced around to make sure everyone was listening Happy returned.

"I'm going to use these cards to put you in another dimension. Then my friend here will carry you all to safety."

She explained, glad that she'd thought to grab her entire supply of cards for this job. There were enough people that if she hadn't, Cana wouldn't have been able to use any magic other than her Blizzardvern card, because it would've been the only one left.

"**Card Dimension!**"

She shouted as she activated her magic. Dozens of cards flew out of her hands towards the people, safely trapping them inside. Once she was certain everyone was inside a card she and Happy gathered them all up before she sent the flying blue cat towards the train station once more. Feeling uneasy while she waited Cana explored, making sure that no one was trapped inside any of the buildings. Or at least she tried to. But after two buildings the ground shook as she had to jump away from a pillar of fire.

"Fuck. They weren't all together, so Natsu hasn't finished dealing with them all."

Swearing at her bad luck, she decided to deal with the drake as fast as possible. Throwing a card towards the drake she smiled when it began glowing as she poured magic into it.

"**Cards Summon: Blizzardvern!**"

With that, a large icy blue scaled creature burst from the card. It roared in anger, before lashing out towards the drake in front of it. Her blizzardvern, was much faster and far stronger than the drake. Not enough so to completely overwhelm it, but enough for her to breathe easy as she watched it tear the drake apart.

"That's one down at least. Hopefully Natsu has the other ones dealt with soon."

But she spoke too soon. The moment she finished saying her thoughts out loud a second drake appeared. Luckily her blizzardvern was still out, and free to fight. But the first drake had managed to wound it enough to make this fight much more even. In the end, just as she'd predicted, her blizzardvern managed to win, but was too injured to keep fighting.

"You did great. I know it'll be hard without you, but I can't let you die. Being able to summon you is one of my strongest spells after all. So rest up, okay?"

She spoke to the blizzardvern, proud that she had managed to bond with it after the shaky start they'd had. It tried to roar in protest, but Cana had already picked up the card that was it's home, and channeled her magic into it, canceling the summon. When the blizzardvern vanished back into the card she staggered, as her magic suddenly dropped. She knew it would happen, since her summoning spell ate up a large chunk of the magic inside her magic container.

"Shit, I thought I would be able to take another one on my own without the blizzardvern… But I don't have enough magic left."

She mumbled to herself, as she realized she'd used more magic than planned when she had cast her **Cards Dimension** spell earlier. Before she could start patronizing herself over it, there was a faint cry. She had only just heard it, but the sound made her freeze as her blood ran cold. It was the cry of a baby. A baby was trapped somewhere inside the chaotic mess that was the flaming ruins of the homes that the vineyard farmers lived in.

Cana knew that they hadn't been quick enough to save everyone, but when she heard the babies cry she only had one thought. That was that she'd be damned before failing to save a baby. Wishing that she had Natsu's senses she searched for the place the cry came from. Several houses with nothing and no crying heard for a full minute and she nearly broke down into tears that she'd failed. But then one more wail came, this time clear enough for her to follow the sound. The sight that greeted her wasn't a friendly one though.

The baby was being held in the arms of who was likely it's mother. But she was bleeding from a head wound, and her back was severely burned. Her legs pinned under some fallen timbers from the building they were inside. But the woman was struggling to make sure the child was safe. Until she saw Cana, and an accepting smile came to her face.

"Please…. Please take my daughter and protect her."

"Of course miss. I'll protect the two of you."

Cana replied as she tried to move the large chunks of framework that had fallen over the woman.

"Even if you could free me my wounds are too severe. I have no chance. But my precious baby does. Please get her to safety. Protect her please!"

The lady stated, as Cana struggled to free her. The smoke from the fires was beginning to get to them, as a coughing fit made her stop moving for a moment. Tears came to her eyes as she realized she wouldn't be able to save the older woman.

"I'll get your daughter out of here I promise. Even if it costs my life I'll protect her."

Cana, spoke making an oath to herself as she did. Happy wasn't back yet, and unless Natsu had already dealt with the other six drakes, there was a chance she find another one as she ran for the station with the baby. But she would make sure someone could care for the child, even if it meant she died to get the little one to someone that could raise her.

Gently taking the baby into her arms Cana, openly wept for the trapped mother as she fled the building. It wasn't until she saw the blue blur that was happy approaching her that she managed to regain control over her emotions. But what she didn't notice at first was that Happy was being chased by a drake.

"Cana help!"

The blue cat cried out as he neared her, not noticing the bundle in her arms. His words drawing Cana's attention to the drake, before she began running calling out for Happy. Though she wished she was as confident as she sounded.

"Hurry up and get to me so I can have you take this baby to safety while I deal with the drake!"

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S.R: Okay. So. This is kinda a cross between two of Digemsmack's stories. His **Master Dragneel** story and **Dragneel's Little Dragon**. I say kinda because there are things that won't happen in this story that happened in those stories (so basically it's just inspired by them). This time the story pairing is Natsu x Cana.


	2. Chapter 2

S.R: So how'd you guys like the ending of the last chapter? I'm fairly certain you all already know whats going to happen. Rather than build up the suspense for what happens after I'm going to shut up now and let you guys read.

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Cana wasn't certain she could slow the drake down enough to at least let Happy get the baby to safety but she had to try. Tossing a trio of cards behind her and into the drake's face she cried out "**Card****s**** magic: The Prayers Fountain!**"

A large gushing torrent of water sprayed forth, blinding the drake temporarily as Happy caught up to Cana. She handed the baby over, but before Happy could start moving, the drake had already caught up lashing out at them with it's claws.

The flying blue cat was sent to the ground as one of the drakes claws tore through his white wings from the **Aera** magic he was using. Thankfully it didn't actually damage his body directly instead just destroying his magic wings. Luckily Cana was only knocked to the ground by the claws and not cut or pierced. It was also lucky that Happy and the baby were cushioned as they fell on top of her. Unable to throw her cards for another spell in time as they were pinned under the two on her stomach, Cana closed her eyes in acceptance as the drake closed in on them with it's jaws wide open.

"I don't smell any other drakes, so you're the last one."

A voice spoke out as the drake was stopped in it's tracks. When Cana opened her eyes she saw Natsu with his right arm extended. Blood ran down his arm but she had a feeling it wasn't his. The drake was thrashing about, but rather weakly and not in a way that would suggest it was trying to get away from the pink haired man. Natsu shook his head sadly as he covered his arm in flames, but the heat from the fire was far beyond anything Cana remembered Natsu being capable of. As the flames burnt the drake and caused it to thrash about in pain, the brunette noticed it's movements were becoming more and more sluggish. Moments went by as the drake grew weaker and weaker, moving less and less, until it went still.

"I hate that I had to do this..."

Natsu mumbled when he pulled his arm free, letting Cana see that he had punched through the top of the drakes mouth and into it's skull, when he stopped it from eating her, Happy, and the baby she'd rescued. Strangely she noticed the child was silent and started to panic, but as she looked at the cloth wrapped infant she realized it had just fallen asleep the rise and fall of her chest only just being noticeable underneath the blanket that was wrapped around her.

"You okay Cana?"

"Y-yeah. That was a bit close for comfort though."

She responded her heart still beating fast as the adrenaline wore off. But she was calming down as she didn't need to panic about the baby's safety just yet.

"I know. The drakes were pretty spread out. I managed to kill four of them before I noticed one was heading towards you. I got a fifth one with a surprise attack while I ran. Then this guy. I thought I felt your magic drop pretty suddenly, so can I take that as you dealt with the other two?"

The **Card** **magic** mage just nodded her head, as she tried to calm her still fast beating heart now that she was safe. Natsu gently lifted Happy off of her, the blue cat having fallen unconsciousness from the pain of his wings being destroyed, despite the fact they were made of magic. But then he noticed the baby that Happy was trying to carry to safety. He almost panicked, but he saw the rise and fall of the little ones chest. Sighing in relief that the baby was okay, Natsu gave Happy a proud smile, even though he wasn't awake to return it.

"I'll carry these two. Let's go see the survivors and make sure everything is okay."

Natsu offered as Cana stood up. She was going to frown about the idea of Natsu carrying the baby, but then she remembered he raised Happy and had a general idea on how to carry the baby girl. The tenderness of his movements as he slowly and carefully maneuvered the two in his arms being enough to convince her it was okay to let the pink haired man carry them.

"Alright. Just remember to be quiet since she's sleeping."

Natsu smiled softly at that, before slowly spinning on his heels and walking towards the path that would lead them out of the valley and back to the train station. Around the time that they got to the top of the hill and out of the valley the little girl woke up. Natsu and Cana both thought she would have started to cry since they were strangers, but rather than cry she giggled at Natsu. Making silly faces at her to keep her entertained Natsu smiled from ear to ear as they walked. Cana also had a smile on her face at the scene.

When Happy stirred in Natsu's arms, he handed the baby over to Cana while he made sure the exceed was okay. The little girl was perfectly content in Cana's arms just like she was in Natsu's. Though since Cana wouldn't make silly faces for her she settled for giggling as she pulled on the brunette's hair and tried to grab her nose.

"You sure you're okay buddy?"

"Aye, sir! Something soft broke my fall so I didn't hurt myself too much."

Cana grumbled at that, but since Happy was already out cold when he collided with her stomach she let it slide. Happy did look around for the baby, but when he saw her in Cana's arms he sighed in relief that they'd managed to save her too.

"Still. It's surprising she isn't crying. We're strangers after all, and she has to want her mother."

Natsu said when he noticed where Happy was looking.

"Her mother wasn't going to survive and begged me to protect her."

Cana said with a frown, tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she remembered the scene. Natsu frowned as well. No one spoke for a moment as they offered up a small pray for the baby's mother.

"So how do we handle this? See if some of the survivors can take her? Find an orphanage?"

Cana just shrugged. Both sounded like good ideas. Sure she was growing to like the baby, but Cana didn't think that she or Natsu would be able to raise the little girl properly.

"Well let's check with the survivors and see what happens."

She offered after a moment. Nodding at her idea Natsu and Happy followed her to the train station. Luckily one of men that survived was able to use **Dispel** magic and freed everyone from the cards that Cana had sealed them in so Happy could carry them all in one go. After being thanked profusely over and over by the survivors, Cana mentioned the baby, and tried to hand her over to one of the woman that managed to escape. But the little girl in her arms began wailing the moment Cana stepped away. She reached towards Cana in a way that made it seem as if she was pleading for her to come back. No one was able to calm her down, as all of the adults that lived and worked in the vineyard tried to comfort her. It wasn't until Natsu tried to comfort her that the little one stopped crying. But the crying started up once more when he followed Cana's lead and tried to hand her to another adult so Natsu took her back. While the whining stopped the baby girl was frowning. Unable to handle the sad look on her face Natsu began playing with her while Cana figured things out.

"She seems attached to the two of you."

The elderly man that Cana had spoken with to start the job said. He had watched as the infant sobbed when away from the two with a mix of awe and confusion over just how fast the little girl had grown attached to them. His tone of voice did make the brunette think he as asking if they would take care of her since she didn't want to be separated from them.

"Natsu may have raised Happy here, but I don't think either of us could raise her properly."

Cana said with a frown. It was too much of a struggle to hand her over to these people. People who knew her mother and were part of her life already. She didn't like the idea of handing the child over to an orphanage, mostly because it would be even harder to comfort her since they'd be complete strangers, unlike the adults that they tried to hand her to.

"What choice do we have though Cana? She knows these people yet, clings to us instead. Just imagine how much worse it would be with an orphanage."

Natsu said, his tone making Cana look at him in confusion. She would have thought Natsu wouldn't be as considerate as he was of the situation. She was a little surprised he'd had the same thought as her in regards to how the little girl would react to being handed over at an orphanage. But it also looked like he was bonding with the little one already since he had yet to divert his attention away from the giggling baby in his arms. Which was something she couldn't deny doing a bit of herself as she had also grown to like the little girl. But Cana didn't know that Natsu had already decided to make sure the little girl had someone that would always be there to look out for her. He didn't want to risk her being adopted and then abandoned. He didn't want her to to grow up without a parent either.

Cana was still unsure however.

"I know but… Do you really think either of us could be parents?"

"Well she's attached to both of us so I'd say we're in this together. Besides I'm sure the guild would support us. We'll have all the help we could ever need."

Natsu responded, with a far away look on his face. Cana could tell there was more to it, but she didn't pry. Mostly because she had an idea of what he was thinking. He hated it when people weren't happy after all. If it meant she would be happy, then Natsu didn't mind raising the child.

"Alright. But as you said, we're in this together Natsu."

Cana agreed, somehow not feeling even the slightest bit of disagreement on the matter. Since they had agreed and decided how to handle the situation the old man spoke up again.

"Once more, from the bottom of my heart I thank you two for all you've done. Especially now that you've taken the little one in. I don't know how we would have gotten her to settle down if you hadn't decided to raise her yourselves... I know it's probably not enough, but here is the reward for completing the job."

The elderly man said with a bow towards the two Fairy Tail mages. He handed Cana an envelop full of jewels. The **Card magic** mage shook her head at that, saying it was more than enough given the fact they could have tried to do something else as payment so they could save the money for rebuilding purposes.

"I couldn't do that. This was the agreed upon reward for dealing the situation. I only wish I could give you more."

No matter how much she tried the elderly man refused to budge. In the end she gave up on trying to convince the man to keep some of the jewels to rebuild. His stubbornness at making sure they got the payment they deserved trumping her desire make sure they could safely rebuild without worry. When Cana finally caved and agreed with the old man about accepting the job payment, she was the one holding the baby. Natsu had handed the little one over to her so he could entertain the little kids that had been bugging him about his magic since Cana started arguing with the older man.

With the baby in her arms Cana motioned with her head for Natsu to follow her as she moved to buy the tickets they'd need to get back to Magnolia. When they boarded the train Natsu seemed to be much worse off with his motion sickness than when they'd left Magnolia. Unsure of what could be the cause, and feeling that he deserved to be able to relax even if it was only just a little, Cana adjusted their positions on the seat. Natsu was laying down and she put his head in her lap, a little off center so that he was only resting on her right knee. Can cradled the baby against her left breast so that she didn't have an arm in Natsu's face. Since Happy had yet to use his magic to make his wings once more, the exceed sat in Natsu's lap.

"Come to think of it, we never learned her name."

"If we're adopting her we can give her a name."

Natsu was just barely able to hear, let alone respond but he did managed to get a comment out before having to close and cover his mouth to avoid getting sick. Cana nodded at that as she started thinking of names. But then she realized they had no baby supplies. Suppressing a groan she decided they'd get off at the next town. Since it was late they'd cheek into a hotel and have a serious talk about how they were going to handle things. Then, in the morning they'd head out and buy everything they would need to raise her.

What she didn't know was that Natsu was distracting himself from his motion sickness by thinking about how everything would change, and how to make those changes easier. That including thinking hard about how things would be different if it was someone else from the guild that he was going to raise the little girl with.

As Cana dragged him off of the train Natsu told Happy to head back to the guild and talk to gramps for them to explain the situation. Cana was surprised that Natsu thought about that, but she figured they could talk about it, and other things after they settled into the hotel room for the night. They checked in rather quickly and settled in fast too, since the room they'd been given was only just down the hall from the front desk.

"So there's a lot to talk about. Let's start with how we're going to take care of her."

Cana started the conversation as she gave the little girl in her arms a smile.

"Well… I was thinking if you were okay with it you could move into my place. That way we could both look after her."

Cana could find the words to speak, she was so shocked that Natsu had thought about that. Instead she sat on the bed, as she struggled to come up with a reply. Because she didn't say anything Natsu continued as he flopped down on the couch that was in the room.

"Though at least for a couple weeks you'd have to stay in Fairy Hills still, so I could add on to my house. I don't have a guest room just yet so unless I slept on the couch and you took my room, it'd be better for you to stay at Fairy Hills while I built that."

"Can you afford to do that?"

Cana asked as she finally recovered from her shock. It was an important question since she knew Natsu never got the full reward for a job. It didn't help that since the founding of Team Natsu he had to split the profit with the others. She wasn't going to let him drain his resources for something like that if it meant they wouldn't be able to afford everything they'd need to take care of the little girl.

"Yeah. I own a lot of land so I can just knock down some of my trees for the material and do the work myself. I should be able to make a crib and high chair for her too, so we don't need to worry about those."

"Okay… But back to the suggestion of moving in with you. Natsu you do know how people might misunderstand right?"

Cana asked. Since Natsu mentioned it she decided it would be a good idea to figure out how their relationship would change because of raising the little girl.

"You mean how when a guy asks a girl that it's normally because they're dating? Mira explained it to me back when we were kids because of Lisanna insisting she was my 'wife'… I just figured if we're going to raise her we might as well live together like a proper family."

"I know that, and I understand that. I'm asking if you're fine with people thinking that way."

The only hassle with it that Cana could see was that she thought Natsu had feelings for Lucy. Well that and she didn't want to come between the two of them if that was the case.

"Honestly, I wouldn't mind if it were true."

Natsu replied, which confused her.

"But don't you have someone else you'd rather date?"

"Nope. I've never really given it any thought before, but to distract myself from getting sick on the train I was thinking about it. Lucy worries too much and when she whines it gets more annoying than Happy begging for fish. Erza would beat me senseless for not doing something perfectly. Mira wouldn't let me do anything and would just use me as a source of money. So if I had to chose anyone from the guild to raise her with it would be you."

The **Card magic** mage was surprised by the amount of thought Natsu put into it. But Natsu wasn't done speaking.

"As I said, I wouldn't mind dating you. Though I don't know if I'd have thought about it if we weren't going to be raising the little one."

Natsu commented as he made silly faces for the baby girl to laugh at.

"I hadn't really thought about anyone from the guild either."

"We don't have to do anything though. I just thought it might be better to raise her like a proper family."

Realizing that Natsu was letting her make the decision, and that he was just offering her his thoughts behind the matter, Cana shook her head.

"I'm not saying I don't agree. I mean we're going to be her mom and dad, so it would make sense for us to be together in some way. I just don't know how I feel about it."

Natsu nodded.

"Just think about it then. You can tell me what you decided when you figure out if you're going to move in with me after I finish my home expansion."

"That sounds like a good idea… Now the next thing to talk about. We're going to need baby supplies so we'll buy some tomorrow, but we'll need a lot of stuff. Some of which I'm surprised we haven't needed yet. Like diapers, wipes, clothes, baby bottles, etc. The guild might pitch in, but it's still going to cost a lot."

Since she wasn't sure about Natsu's offer, she changed topics. Money was another big issue in regards to raising a child after all. Between the two of them and help from the guild she was certain they'd be able to make due, but she needed Natsu to know just how expensive it was going to be. Natsu however shook his head about money being an issue.

"I've actually got a lot saved up from before I made team Natsu with Lucy, Gray, and Erza. When it was just me and Happy doing jobs, 90% of the time I also got something on top of the money reward. Including several large uncut diamonds that I still have siting in my safe at home."

Cana let out a relieved sigh at that. Knowing that Natsu was going to be a larger help in the money department than she'd thought was a blessing to her. After all she recalled Macao's ranting when Romeo was still a baby, and she didn't want to raise the little girl while poor.

Speaking of the baby, she was yawning in Cana's arms. Since it was rather late, she laid down on her side with an arm snaked around the little girl so she couldn't roll away and off the bed. Natsu was still sitting on the couch but he had already stretched out on it to relax.

"Is there anything else we need to talk about before going to bed?"

She asked already fighting back a yawn of her own.

"Her name."

Natsu responded instantly.

"I don't have any suggestions. Do you?"

"I have one. Michiko. It means beautiful."

"Really?"

Cana wondered, having never heard of the name before.

"Yeah. It's from an old language that is no longer spoken anymore. The same one as my name actually."

Natsu replied, a smile on his face as he recalled Igneel telling him about the forgotten language.

"Does your name have a meaning in that language too?"

"Yeah. Natsu means Summer. My energetic and wild personality reminded him of summer time, which is why he named me Natsu. At least that's what he told me his reason was."

After explaining Igneel's reasoning behind his name Natsu yawned as well. Which caused Cana to yawn.

"Well I like the name you came up with. But what about her surname. Is she going to be Michiko Alberona, or Michiko Dragneel?"

Cana mumbled. But Natsu still heard her.

"You can choose her last name."

Natsu responded, but Cana was already fading into the dreamworld and didn't hear. The pink haired man wasn't too far behind her, falling asleep a moment later.

* * *

S.R: I do need to warn you all about how the update schedule will work for this story. When I started typing it out I didn't stop and ended up doing the first three chapters at once. But as one word document. Then I realized just how much I wrote, and chopped it up into more manageable segments. Rather than posting all three at once I'm separating them and doing one a day so I can gauge just how well received this story is. The results will determine if it's once a month, or once every other month on an update schedule. So far it's looking more like once a month, but we'll see if it stays that way.


	3. Chapter 3

S.R: Okay, like I said last time I ended up writing three chapters worth of content for this story in one sitting. So after this one it'll be a bit. Considering it seems to be doing extremely well I have decided that I'm going to try and update at least once a month preferably two or three times, but at least once.

Natsu: Butting in with a side note. To all the guests saying 'Why not give her both of their last names?' in response to the ending of the last chapter. THAT WAS THE PLAN. WE JUST WANTED TO HOLD OFF ON SAYING IT.

S.R: And now back to your regularly scheduled program.

* * *

Cana groaned as she woke up. Trying to roll over in bed and fall back asleep she stopped quickly when she felt a small weight in her arms. Which cased her to open her eyes and look. When she saw the little girl, she sighed.

"Shi-… Shoot. I thought I was dreaming this up."

She mumbled to herself, correcting her language so that she didn't curse in front of the baby. Luckily Michiko was still asleep. But now that they were taking care of her, Cana knew that she and Natsu would have to clean up their act. Including the fact that Cana would have to drink a lot less, if not give up entirely on alcohol. The thought should have made her sad, but she found that she didn't mind it.

Gently and slowing rising from the bed with Michiko still in her arms Cana approached the couch where Natsu had fallen asleep. She nudged the pink haired man with her elbow a few times to wake up him.

"It's morning already?"

He asked groggily as he sat up.

"Yeah. Mind holding Michiko for a bit so I can do my morning routine and take a shower?"

"Okay."

Natsu responded softly, a small smile on his face as he accepted the baby girl from Cana. The sight slightly melted her heart. He was already so caring and loving with the little one. Brushing her thoughts aside Cana entered the bathroom and set about taking a shower.

While she did that Natsu just stared at the little girl in his arms. She was still wrapped up in a blanket, and he was only just noticing the fact that they could only see her face. In fact all they knew about her was that the little girls eyes were the same onyx color as his own.

"I wonder what color your hair is."

Natsu mumbled to himself as he waited for the little one to wake up, or for Cana to finish up with the restroom so he could take his turn.

"Eh, it doesn't really matter. I can already tell that you're going to have me wrapped around your little finger, my little dragon."

Natsu softly whispered, a smile appeared on his face as he finished speaking. One that was mirrored on Michiko's face. The moment he called her his little dragon the smile grew even though she was still asleep. But the smile didn't last long as it slowly became a frown. Michiko was waking up and she wasn't happy. Thanks to his enhanced senses Natsu quickly figured out why. Luckily for them Cana had finished up in the bathroom.

"Hey Cana, think you can go find a store and get the diaper supplies? I'll stay here and clean her up, since it's probably a good idea to give her a bath."

"I guess we're just lucky we made it this far before she needed changed."

Cana replied as she slung her bag over her shoulder. She nodded at Natsu and said she'd try to be back within fifteen minutes.

"Alright then, let's get you cleaned up."

Natsu smiled softly to Michiko, though on the inside he was groaning about the smell. He carefully set her down on the counter beside the sink in the bathroom and unwrapped the blanket that was cocooning her. Not wanting to waste any time Natsu immediately began to change her so he didn't check for the answer to his earlier rambling about her hair color. Because they didn't have any wipes, Natsu settled for using the toilet paper instead. Thankfully Michiko, while fussy, wasn't overly so. When he finished, the now dirty diaper was in the trash and Michiko was sitting in the sink. It wasn't really deep enough for what he wanted to do, but it would work. Using one hand to keep her from falling over and hitting her head, he turned and grabbed one of the smaller complementary towels and a wash cloth.

When he turned back to Michiko and the sink, Natsu held the wash cloth under the faucet and got it damp. Then he gently but firmly began rubbing Michiko's arms with it. He started with her arms, then moved to her chest and stomach, then her back, her legs followed that, her feet were next, after that he moved back up to her hands, and then finished with her face.

"Now the tricky part."

Natsu commented, as he finally took a look at her hair. While there wasn't much, there was enough that he was confident that she'd have long flowing hair like most of the girls in Fairy Tail when she grew up. It was also a very pretty brown, just a shade or two lighter than Cana's. But since her hair was still pretty short, and he had to be careful not to hurt her, the most time consuming part of her bath was washing her hair. In fact part way through the process Cana returned to the room with a bag fully of changing supplies. She set the bag down by the couch and set about preparing a bottle or two for Michiko in case she was hungry.

"I see you've been having fun."

She commented as she joined him in the bathroom. Michiko was still a bit to young and small to play with the water, but that didn't mean she couldn't squirm around and giggle. Which is what she was doing while Natsu tried to wash her hair.

"Yeah. I'm almost done."

The pink haired man replied as he finished washing Michiko's hair. When he pulled his hand and the wash cloth away Cana was surprised to see the little girls hair color. It was a little unsettling how she had the same color eyes as Natsu and roughly the same hair color as her own. But she shook it off as Natsu used the small towel he'd prepared to gently dry the baby girl off. Cana wasn't sure if Natsu knew how to proper change a diaper, and she'd helped Macao and his wife when Romeo was born, so when he was done drying her off, Cana stepped in with the changing supplies. A few moments later Michiko was in a fresh diaper and giggling happily at Cana.

"Alright you two are clean and ready for the day, now it's my turn."

Natsu said as Cana lifted Michiko up and off the counter. She rolled her eyes at Natsu's tone because it was a playful pout. But she smiled anyway. Carrying Michiko back out into the hotel room Cana sat down on the couch beside the bag of supplies she'd grabbed while Natsu was giving the little girl her bath. By this time the bottles were ready, so she decided to feed Michiko while they waited for Natsu to shower.

Despite the fact she was cooing at the baby and smiling while Michiko giggled and reached for her hair Cana was thinking about other things. _'Why does this feel so natural? I mean Natsu and I are raising a baby. Granted she's not our own child, but still. __I shouldn't feel so at ease with this.'_

Since she couldn't really do anything about it Cana decided to talk to the master when they returned and see if he could help her figure out why she was so accepting of the whole situation. But her musing was interrupted as Natsu exited the bathroom. Michiko hand only gotten a part of the way through the bottle, so Cana asked Natsu to grab the extra bottle she'd prepared and put it in the side pocket of her messenger bag. That way it was in a spot that was easy to get to if the little one was still hungry after the first bottle.

"I've got her, so can you carry my bag and the bag with all the changing supplies?"

Natsu nodded as he picked the two bags up while Cana stood from her seat on the couch. They walked towards the door of their hotel room as Natsu asked a question.

"Do you want to go get some breakfast for us, or are you eager to finish getting the rest of the supplies we'll need?"

"I'm not terribly hungry right now. Are you?"

Natsu shook his head. He had woken up later than he normally would have, but his morning routine after cleaning himself up in the bathroom usually included going for a small run before eating anyway. So he was fine with finishing the baby shopping first.

"Then lets go get the rest of the stuff we need and then have brunch at the cafe by the train station."

Cana decided. Natsu quoted Happy's favorite saying in response, which made the brunette woman chuckle. They stopped by the front desk of the hotel to check out, and then they were heading towards the shop Cana had gone to for the diapers and other changing supplies.

"Oh welcome back miss."

The clerk said with a smile when they walked in.

"I told you I'd be back to finish shopping. We just really needed the changing kit and baby bottles."

She said as she rolled her eyes. The store clerk was an older woman, but not elderly. She did give off a motherly vibe though, which is why Cana readily accepted her help when she had rushed into the store earlier. She had already told the older woman about the circumstances behind the reason they had to shop for baby supplies though, so the woman just smiled as she guided them through the store, advising them on everything the two would need to know in order to raise the little girl that was in Cana's arms.

"I must say, if you don't look closely at her face it would be easy to assume she was your actual child rather than adopted."

The lady said off handedly, as they moved passed the section of the store that contained the diaper supplies. She stopped them in the section of the store that held the formula for making milk, and grabbed a couple cans. Since Cana was somewhat rushing she had only grabbed one when she'd been in the store previously.

"Yeah, that is a strange coincidence."

Natsu replied, as he glanced about the store. Cana had only grabbed two bottles, because she knew some babies would drink more milk than others, but even if Michiko didn't have two bottles at a time, he knew they would need a few more so that there would always be a clean bottle for the baby girl to drink from. With that thought in mind he grabbed another four, which the store clerk nodded at with a smile.

"Smart idea. Always have a clean bottle ready for feeding a baby." She commented as they moved into the clothing section of the store. At that point Michiko had finished her bottle. Natsu noticed and pulled the spare bottle Cana had prepared out from the messenger bag and warmed it up in his hand. Not too much though, before he handed it to Cana who accepted it with a smile. When she put the teat of the bottle in Michiko's mouth, the little girl latched on, and greedily began drinking again. All three of the adults laughed at that. But the store clerk, stopped so they could peruse through the baby clothes.

"Do you have any preferences on the clothing?"

She asked as they began riffling through the assortment of clothes.

"Not really, but if you've got a onesie or something with the Fairy Tail logo on it, we'll take it."

Natsu commented with pride, shifting so the lady could see his guild mark. She just smiled, and pulled out a few different outfits. A simple white onesie, a light pink onesie, a black one with the Fairy Tail logo on both the front and back in white, a white shirt that said 'Little princess' in pink, a lavender shirt with the words 'Snuggle me' written in a cursive font in black, and a white shirt that read 'Future Fairy Tail wizard'. On top of that she grabbed two pairs of white shorts, a pair of black pants, and pink shirt and skirt combo that was pretty frilly.

"I know you probably don't want to spend too much right now, but I figured if you count the current outfit she's got on then with all this she has enough outfits to have a different one every day of the week."

Natsu and Cana both agreed that it would be enough at least for a little while and added the pile of outfits to the shopping cart. After that they grabbed two baby carriers so they could be a little more hands free while carrying Michiko. Then they entered the toys section. Cana made sure they grabbed a couple pacifiers, one of which had the Fairy Tail emblem in black on it. Since Natsu was going to build the baby furniture, they still had a bit more of the budget Cana mentally created in her head as they shopped. So she let him pick out a few toys for Michiko.

In the end Natsu had decided on a baby swing and a stuffed bear toy wise, though he did add a couple story books for them to read to her Michiko. With that there baby shopping was done, and it was still below the budget Cana had already decided on. She wasn't going to let them spend more than 30,000 jewels since they still had to get back to Magnolia, and carrying too much stuff would make that a lot harder. But they managed to stay just shy of that limit, instead spending 29,650 jewels.

Natsu carried all the bags as they walked towards the train station, Michiko in Cana's arms still sucking away on her bottle. The bottle was almost empty but there was still just a little bit left when they got to the cafe.

"I don't know if we should give her another bottle or not."

Cana mumbled when they sat down. Natsu titled his head in thought. He'd never spent much time around Romeo when he was still a baby, so he didn't know how much a baby could eat without eating too much and getting sick.

"I wouldn't. Just let her finish that bottle… Don't we have to burp her or something when she's done eating though?

Cana nodded, happy that Natsu was taking the situation far more seriously than she would have expected. It seemed she owed him a lot of credit, since he was adapting to the changes and not playing around. Because they still needed to get back to Magnolia, they ordered a light and quick meal. With Michiko finishing her bottle as they finished ordering. Natsu grabbed the now empty bottle and placed it with the first one in the side pocket on Cana's messenger bag that way they knew the two bottles would need to be cleaned again before they would used. While he did that Cana softy pressed Michiko into her chest. One hand supporting the baby with her chin resting on Cana's shoulder, while the other was cupped as she softly and slowly patted the little girls back.

After five minutes passed Cana figured Michiko had been burped enough, and let the little girl settle back down into her lap. The little girl was facing Natsu, who was making silly faces for her to laugh at. It was a really cute scene to the onlookers. When their food arrived they both ate slowly, though on her part it was because having Michiko in her lap made it hard to eat without bumping her with an elbow.

"Now to get our tickets and return to Magnolia."

Cana spoke when they stood up. Natsu frowned about riding the train but he stayed silent. It was important that they get home soon after all.

**An Hour Later**

Their train had pulled into the station at Magnolia and Cana dragged Natsu off the train. Even though he'd sent Happy ahead of them to explain the situation to the master, Cana hadn't been expecting him to meet them at the station.

"I see you two are being serious about this."

He spoke when he noticed Natsu carrying a few bags worth of baby stuff. He was truly proud of them for the effort they were putting into raising the little girl. At first he was worried they'd have to pound the matter into Natsu's head that he had to be serious about it, and a little concerned that they wouldn't be able to handle it. But the sight in front of him caused him to sigh in relief.

"Of course we are gramps."

Natsu grumbled. Cana just stepped closer to the short man so he could see the little one properly.

"Happy said you didn't know her name? Did you decide on one while you were gone?"

He asked a small smile on his face as he looked at the cute little girl in Cana's arms. Nodding she turned to Natsu.

"Gramps, meet Michiko. Oh that's right, you never did tell me whose last name you decided to give her Cana?"

Natsu spoke with pride, a pleased smile on his face at the name since he was the one that thought of it.

"Both. Michiko Alberona Dragneel. What do you think master?"

Cana said with a smirk. Natsu smiled as well, pleased with the idea. Which was something Makarov noticed. '_These two brats… I wonder how long it'll take them to figure it out._' He said in his head. They were far closer now than before Cana had accepted that job, and it seemed like they'd be getting even closer. So he was happy for them.

" I think that's a splendid name. Also since the two of you are being quite serious about it, you've got my support. But I have to ask, how do you two want to handle the guild?"

He asked, inwardly laughing at the idea of how much chaos it would stir up when the guild found out. But Natsu shrugged.

"I wasn't really planning to be by the guild for a bit. I'm going to cut down some the trees on my property to make the baby furniture, and build an expansion on my house."

"I didn't have any plans. Well besides visiting Porlyusica and asking if she'd do a check up on the little one. We don't even know how old she is."

Cana answered.

"My guess is three maybe four months old. But it probably would be a good idea to have Porlyusica confirm her age."

"Gramps you mind carrying this stuff to wherever Cana wants it? I'm going to go get started on cutting down some trees. If I'm lucky I might be able to start building the baby furniture at least partially before the day is over."

Natsu commented as he handed the bags of baby supplies to the guild master before heading towards his home in the forest at the edge of the town. Cana found herself staring at his back as he walked away, unsure as to why the thought of him working hard for her sake made her heart beat faster.

"Let's go see Porlyusica first. After all we need to know how healthy little Michiko is."

Makarov spoke as he and Cana headed for the forest as well. Though their destination was a section of the forest behind the guild hall to the North, rather than Natsu's home in the Northwest section of the forest. When they arrived Porlyusica nearly beat them with her broom for interrupting her day, but the moment before it made contact with Makarov's skull she noticed the child in Cana's arms.

"You brats always seem to do unexpected things."

She mumbled as they followed her into the building that was her home.

"Well… When she refused to go with anyone but Natsu and I after we rescued her, we kinda resigned ourselves to raise her. Though I do find it odd just how easily I accepted it and am settling into the role of her caretaker."

Cana offered. The old pink haired lady didn't say anything though her face softened as she looked at the little girl. She did shy away from the pink haired woman, but unlike when they tried to hand her over to the others they rescued she didn't instantly start wailing. Noticing just how close she was to crying though Cana didn't take her hand away while Porlyusica did her check up. She let Michiko hold onto her fingers, as a way of letting her know she was close and that everything was okay.

"So what is the little one's name?"

Porlyusica asked as she finished up her examination.

"Natsu picked it out. Michiko. He said in an old dead language it means 'beautiful'."

Porlyusica and Makarov both knew what language she was talking about, and though they didn't know it all that well, they did know enough to tell her Natsu was correct about the names meaning.

"Is it bad I'm not surprised that Natsu is smarter than everyone gives him credit for?"

"Remember he was raised by a dragon. He might not have learned common sense, or gained book smarts, but that doesn't mean Natsu isn't intelligent. Natsu probably knows more forgotten knowledge than Porlyusica and I put together."

"So how is the brat handling this situation?"

Porlyusica asked, mostly because while she would never openly admit it, she did feel a bond with the Dragon Slayers, besides Wendy.

"He's going to build the baby furniture himself. Plus he's building an add on for his house since there's only one bedroom… To make it easier for both of us to raise her he even asked if I'd move in with him."

Cana answered. But her words drew shocked smiles from the other two adults. They were both proud that Natsu was taking things seriously, but they were shocked by the fact he'd even offered for the brunette to live with him. Though as someone that knew more about Dragon Slayers than all the none Dragon Slayers, Porlyusica had to wonder how long it would take the two to realize what was going on. Setting the thought aside she turned to face Cana full on.

"From what I can tell right now, she's a perfectly healthy three month old baby. So far at least she doesn't seem to have any allergies, but I can't determine anything about food allergies until she's old enough to eat solid foods. Bring her back after her teeth have come in and I'll check again then."

"Thank you. I know we tend to take your aid for granted especially in the heat of the moment, but it really is appropriated."

Cana spoke as she took the little girl back from Porlyusica. As she and Makarov's left the healers hut with Michiko, Cana turned to the guild master.

"Don't tell the guild about this. I want to do it, but I want Natsu to be there. Though I'd appreciate it if you sent him some help. I know it'll only be a few days for the furniture but add in the expansion of his house and it'll take two weeks at least before he's ready to come to the guild again.I don't think it'd be smart to wait that long. In the mean time, I'm going to head over to Fairy Hills and start squaring things up."

She didn't say it, but Makarov could tell that she was going to take Natsu up on his offer to move in with him to raise Michiko. He kept the thought to himself, mostly because he knew there was a chance she'd get embarrassed and second guess her choice. Though he did follow her to the girls dorms since he was still carrying all the bags of baby stuff.

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S.R: There you go. I'll see you guys next time.


	4. Chapter 4

S.R: I should have asked you guys to make bets on how the guild would react. But I didn't think about it till I sat down to write this chapter. Oh well. You'll just have leave reviews telling me what you think. Sike! Well. No you still have to tell me what you think but yeah you can also make bets on how the guild will react.

* * *

Even though Cana had asked him to send help Natsu's way, so that he could finish his task of upgrading his home sooner, Makarov had waited a few days. There were a few reasons behind his delay, but when the brunette pressed him about it after he had sneaked into her dorm room in Fairy Hills, when he had come to check up on her and Michiko he merely responded.

"I wanted to be sure he was done with the baby furniture first. Since you need all of it here to make things easier for you, I decided to wait until I knew you had it all here where no one could see. We may be a family but people gossip after all."

"So he has help now?"

"Yup. I sent Elfman and Gray over."

Cana suppressed a groan at that. The three of them were more likely to start a brawl than work on Natsu's home. Elfman and his shouting about being a man, would annoy the other two to no end. Not to mention it was well known in the guild that Natsu and Gray would but heads over anything and everything.

For his part, the guild master already knew that. But he was testing Natsu. If the pink haired man was serious about raising Michiko… Well then he would stay on task and not get distracted by the two aides that he'd sent to the man. Despite the fact he was sure the two were serious, he wanted to be absolutely certain that they weren't going to half-ass it in any way.

"Now, the guild thinks Happy decided that he wanted his own room and that's why Natsu is upgrading his home. So he's got an excuse not to show up to the guild for a bit. But what about you?"

The elderly man questioned. From the moment the two had come back to Magnolia with the little girl, he could see that even though she'd agreed and was willing to raise the baby, Cana had yet to fully commit. When she had visited Porlyusica for Michiko to have check up, the brunette had admitted that she was confused as to how natural it felt.

"Well… The only reason I can think of to use as an excuse is that I'm not feeling well. But then Wendy or Erza might panic and try to check on me. Or in Erza's case beat up Natsu and blame him for not making sure I was okay."

As she talked Cana was feeding Michiko her second lunchtime bottle. Makarov knew that it would be harder in Cana's case to excuse her absence from the guild and he knew she was fairly intelligent so he wasn't surprised that she could see the cons to the only reasonable excuse she could use.

"Wait… Can we say I have a personal reason that I'm not showing up to the guild? If anyone asks just say that I'm doing some personal stuff."

She suddenly commented, as the thought formed in her mind. She doesn't have to tell them what her excuse is, after all. Privacy is respected by most of the people in the guild so they wouldn't pry.

"I can go along with that, yes. But what if they try to harass Natsu about it? Or Happy? After all the only reason no one else knows about things so far is that Happy came straight to me in my office and then went home to wait for Natsu."

Cana tilted her head in thought. But she ended up getting distracted by the fact Michiko had finished her bottle. Setting the now empty bottle aside she burped the little girl before a metaphorical light bulb went off in her mind.

"let's get you ready to go out for a bit."

she spoke softly to the girl, a calm smile on her face. While he was curious, Makarov figured that she'd had an idea and was going to act on it so he sat silently as Cana got Michiko dressed for the day. His smile grew wider when he saw the outfit she'd put on the little girl. A white shirt that said 'Future Fairy Tail Wizard' in cursive and a pair of black pants.

"I know Natsu takes pride in being a Fairy Tail wizard but you didn't have to let him pick that shirt out."

He chuckled.

"Yes I did. He's not the only one that's proud to be part of the best guild in Fiore."

She replied with a smirk. But then she handed Michiko over to the guild master so she could prepare the diaper bag. Even as he watched her work the guild master couldn't help but grin as he thought '_You said it feels natural to take care of Michiko? Of course it does. Just being around the little one is making your maternal instincts come to the front.'_

When she was satisfied that the diaper bag was ready she put on the baby carrier and accepted the little girl back with a smile. Michiko giggled as she returned to the brunette's arms. While she hadn't out right cried to be handed to the short old man, they both could tell the baby was much happier in Cana's arms than in his. Since they were now officially ready to go, Cana lead the way. As they walked Makarov realized she was following the path that snaked through the forest towards Natsu's home.

He was confused as to why the brunette would risk Elfman and Gray seeing the little girl before they told the guild about Michiko's existence. But the **Cards magic** mage stopped around the halfway point and stood patiently.

'_I see! She's relying on Natsu's sense of smell. He'll tell the other two that he's going to do something real fast and leave them behind to come see us.'_ The guild master thought after a moment. It wasn't long after he realized it that Natsu came jogging down the path towards them. A huge grin was on his face as he approached.

Cana had adjusted the baby carrier so that Michiko was being held off center from her chest, allowing the little one to turn her head towards the direction Natsu had come from. When the onyx eyed baby saw him she lit up with a smile and made excited noises. She was clearly as happy to see him as he was her.

"How's my little dragon doing today."

Natsu cooed at her, as she reached for him. Cana and Makarov were both silent for a moment, letting Natsu entertain the little girl since he hadn't seen her for a couple days.

"We just came by to let you know. If anyone from the guild asks about me, say you know why I'm not showing up at the guild but that it isn't your place to say since it's personal stuff."

Cana told him when he finally decided to turn his attention to her and the guild master. Makarov nodded his approval of the idea when Natsu looked at him.

"Okay, but why?"

"We're in this together right? That means we both have to be there to tell the guild. So Michiko has to stay a secret until then."

Since he understood that, Natsu smiled.

"Alright. Well I should head back before Elfman and Gray break something. Or get Happy to talk. I've been distracting him with fish while we work."

With that he kissed Michiko's forehead and began to jog back towards his home. As he did Cana held up one of Michiko's hands and shook it back and forth as if she was waving bye to the pink haired man.

"Since this didn't take that long I'm curious as to what the diaper bag was for?"

Makarov asked her as they started walking back towards the town.

"Well last night while she as asleep I checked how much money I had saved up. I've got a bit more than I remember, so I figured that we'd head out and grab a few more things for her."

Luckily Cana had a really good mental map of the town. She knew what areas the other guild members lived in and where they visited, so she was able to pick a store that was in a part of town where there was no chance of them being found out. With the guild master at her side, she bought a mobile for Michiko's cradle, a few more story books, a new pacifier since one of the two they'd gotten her before had been broken when Cana accidentally stepped on it, and a stroller since they'd forgotten one when they first went shopping for Michiko. She picked up a couple more cans of baby formula for her milk as well. When they were done shopping Cana had gotten away with a bill of 14,570 jewels.

After their day of shopping Makarov left, letting Cana take Michiko home to the Fairy Hills dorm. Though he promised to come by again when Natsu was done with his home expansion. As he walked away from the brunette woman he worried about what would happen when Michiko was introduced to the guild. Sure some of they others would be extremely supportive right from the start, but some of the older members, would question it. He was worried that the duo would suddenly find themselves unsure of what they were doing.

"Well. They are growing into the role of parents just fine. So if they can convince the guild to let them show it then things shouldn't be too bad."

He mumbled to himself. Not to mention the fact that he knew just how hard the duo were trying. Natsu was already working hard to be able to provide for Michiko. Every time he'd seen the pink haired man since they came back to Magnolia with the little girl he'd noticed Natsu was being less and less brash and reckless. Cana was pushing herself to provide while Natsu prepared. Besides, she normally reeked of booze. Enough so that anyone within twenty feet of her could normally smell it on her. But that was no longer the case. Though if he focused real hard he could still slightly smell it, Makarov had to admit that was a vast improvement for her.

**Ten Days After Natsu And Cana Returned To Magnolia**

True to his word, Makarov came to visit Cana once Natsu finished his work in expanding his house. Natsu had come along as well, because he wanted see if she had an answer about moving in with him. When she said yes, Makarov exited the room via the window before activating his **Giant** magic and having Natsu pass Cana's furniture out to him.

"Let Natsu take her while you go settle things with the dorm matron Cana. I'll carry your stuff over to Natsu's home for you." He spoke, very carefully as he made sure his voice wasn't booming. For one if it was the guild would have heard, and for two he didn't want to risk upsetting Michiko. Having figured that they would do something like that Cana just rolled her eyes as Natsu took the baby girl from her.

Since they knew it could be a while Natsu walked with Makarov back to his home so he could point out where everything was going to go. But as they walked Natsu had to ask the guild master a question. He had to pause several times to think of the words he wanted but he did get his question across.

"Hey gramps? I've never really… thought of a woman before… but ever since Cana agreed to raise Michiko with me I've… I've thought about what it would be like to hold her close.. and do stuff. Like kiss her.. Is that bad?"

The old man chuckled at Natsu's question. Natsu had never really shown an interest in anyone before. But he had a feeling this situation would make him see Cana in a romantic way. He just didn't know how long it would take the man to realize it.

"Not at all Natsu. That's perfectly normal."

"Is it bad she is the only one I can think of that way?"

Natsu questioned worriedly.

"It's not a bad thing at all. But I don't know if I can say that's a good thing either. You might have started to feel that way towards Cana because of the fact you two are raising Michiko."

Makarov responded, trying to be as honest and simple as he could.

"Nope. I knew doing this would change things in my life, so I thought real hard about it. Before we'd even decided on Michiko's name I knew Cana was the only one in the guild I could see myself raising her with."

Natsu said with a frown as he recalled what he told Cana about his decision. Because of how quickly Natsu had responded Makarov mentally stroked his chin in thought. _'__Either he's fallen head over heels in love already, or Natsu's felt this way for a while and is only just now realizing it_.'

The two were silent after that. The only noise coming from the giggling Michiko. Natsu had her in the baby carrier, strapped to his chest but since the guild master was carrying all the stuff from Cana's dorm, his hands were free to tickle the baby girl or for her to play with. Since she didn't have a pacifier, the baby girl pulled at one of his fingers and tried to stick it into her mouth and gnaw on it. She was old enough to be teething, despite the fact that it would take a few months before her first tooth even started to come in.

"Hey, that tickles."

Natsu told her with a smile. The little girl in his arms distracting him from his thoughts about Cana.

Not to long after that they arrived at Natsu's home. With master Makarov doing all the work it was slow going even though he was using magic to help. They had just sat down on Natsu's couch after getting everything in place when Cana found them.

"Normally I'd be all for heading to the guild now so you can introduce Michiko to the others, but I think the two of you need to get settled in."

The guild master said as Cana joined them on the couch. Natsu nodded that it made sense to him. Cana agreed as well, since she had never been inside Natsu's home. Though just what she could see of the first floor surprised her. It wasn't the pigsty she expected his home to look like. But she felt that he probably cleaned up because of the chance that they were going to move in with him.

After a little while Makarov decided he needed to get back to the guild and finish up some paperwork. As he stood to leave Natsu had Michiko wave goodbye.

"See you later gramps."

"We'll be by the guild tomorrow morning master."

Cana mentioned with a sigh. She was but wasn't ready to tell the guild about Michiko. For one it would be nice that they didn't have to hide. But on the other side of that argument, she knew that a few people wouldn't be okay with it. Especially given the fact she was the guild drunk and Natsu was the guild moron. Her thoughts about the matter were interrupted when Natsu asked about her drinking.

"Are you alright Cana? I can tell that you haven't completely stopped drinking. But you haven't been drinking anywhere near as much as usual. I mean such a drastic change should be bad for you right?"

The **Cards magic** mage couldn't help but smile and blush lightly as Natsu worried about her.

"I'm fine Natsu. I drink because I like the taste, not to get drunk. It's just more fun to pretend I'm a drunken mess most of the time."

"But still cutting back this much might be bad for you?"

He wasn't one hundred percent sure but the pink haired man knew he should be certain she was okay so he pressed a bit more.

"If I was actually drunk yeah. But if you didn't notice it, I circulate my magic trough my body when I get a little too drunk. It helps sober me back up and prevent me from becoming addicted. If I really wanted to I could completely stop drinking."

She wasn't expecting Natsu to understand right away, but he smiled at her.

"So you're fine cutting back to almost nothing so people wouldn't look down on you while we take care of Michiko. That's good."

"What about you? When master told me he sent Gray and Elfman to help you upgrade this place I was worried it would never happen because you were too busy fighting."

Cana stated as Natsu stood up to prepare a bottle for Michiko who was babbling to get their attention.

"Yeah it was annoying but I couldn't let them distract me from doing what I needed to do. I didn't even respond when Gray started teasing me, I was that focused on making sure it got done. Well that and bribing Happy with fish so he wouldn't tell them about Michiko before we were ready."

He replied as Cana took the little girl from his arms. Cana didn't say anything as she watched Natsu head for the kitchen. She was surprised that Natsu had admitted to basically ignoring Gray for once. When she couldn't see the pink haired man, Cana turned her thoughts from him to studying her new home.

The living room was sizable with hardwood flooring. Not quite centered in the room was a bear skin rug. Resting on top of the rug was a coffee table. Flanking the table was two leather arm chairs. Then the couch that she was sitting on with Michiko. It was a plush tan colored couch. The corner to her left housed a lamp for light, while the right corner was open as the entry into the room. From her position on the couch the majority of the left wall could be seen and it was mostly window. The wall across from her housed a fireplace and several pictures of the guild. Natsu and the master had placed the baby swing they'd gotten for Michiko in the corner by the window. The wall to her right housed a few more pictures, but was mostly blank. Though there was a table with some assorted nick-knacks. All in all it was very Natsu like in her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Natsu came back with Michiko's bottle.

"You want me to show you around while she drinks her milk?"

Natsu offered as he noticed Cana glancing around the room. She nodded and stood up, before taking the bottle from him. Just across from the living room was another room that was slightly smaller. But there was nothing inside. She could tell there used to be things inside from the scuff marks on the floor.

"I kinda figured that as she grew up we could make this Michiko's playroom."

Natsu said as he gestured into the empty room. Cana just nodded, it was an idea for what to do with the room. Though she was curious as to what was in the room before. But she didn't ask as Natsu had already moved on. They walked passed the stairs up to the second floor, so she could see the full layout of the first floor. Just a few steps down the hall from the stairs was a rather large bathroom, though Cana peaked inside and saw it was because the room was also where Natsu did his laundry. The hallway continued for a few feet beyond the bathroom before opening up into a Kitchen/dinning room combination. The cabinets being the same color as the wood flooring. Simple black stone slabs were used as the counter tops. The chairs and the table were all the same color as the coffee table in the living room.

"Hey Natsu are the chairs and table made of the same wood as the coffee table in the living room?"

"Yup. They're all made of mahogany."

There really wasn't much else to see so after Cana gave the room a once over, Natsu lead her upstairs.

"The room on the right is the one gramps and I set up to be yours. All your stuff is in there. Also we figured Michiko's crib could go in there. Mostly because there isn't anywhere in the house it could be where I wouldn't hear her if something happened in the night. But this way it's fair for both of us."

He said as he gestured towards the door to the room. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she wandered in to see how they set things up. The door was just off from the left wall of the room. Halfway down that wall was a window. Facing that window was her bed, pushed up against the right wall, but not quite centered on the wall. The wall dead in front of the door was where they'd put her wardrobe and night stand. When she turned her head to the wall the door was on she noticed the crib was set close to the corner but not quite in the corner. Her lamp from the Fairy Hills dorm room was situated on in the corner itself but facing away from the crib. Next to the light was a surprise for her. Natsu had made a little bookshelf and rocking chair.

"I figured we could place the books that were her bed time stories on the bookshelf. The chair is to rock her to sleep while she's being read to."

Natsu told her when he saw where she was looking. At that point any doubts she had about Natsu being able to be a parent had vanished. He had not only stepped up but he had gone beyond what she was expecting.

"There's a basement as well, but that's were I put all the stuff from the empty room. Mostly just exercise equipment, but there's a few boxes of memento's from jobs down there too."

He told her after she decided they didn't need to see his room. With the tour done, the duo went back down to the living room. Natsu used the rest of the nigh to adjust to having someone besides Happy living with him.

**The Next Day**

"So how are we doing this?"

Natsu asked Cana as they approached the guild.

"Well you stay out here with Michiko till I come get you. I'll have an easier time getting them to settle down than you would since they'll want to know why I haven't been by lately."

It made sense to him so Natsu nodded as they walked. Though it did help that he was the one carrying Michiko. He did find it odd how he couldn't hear the people nearby talking about them. Normally he figured the sight the two adults and the baby presented would have drawn attention, and got the gossip mill started. But know he didn't hear anyone talking about them. He was distracted from his wondering as Michiko began tapping on his chest with her hands for attention.

"Oh, my little dragon wants some tickling doesn't she?"

He cooed as he started to tickle the baby's stomach, eliciting giggles from the onyx eyed girl as they approached the guild hall. When they got close enough Natsu mentioned to Cana that he'd be out of the way, and pointed to a bench where he was likely going to be sitting when she decided it was time for him to bring the little girl into the guild. The brunette woman just nodded at him as she continued on to the guild hall doors. With a sigh she pushed them open and entered the guild.

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S.R: Well... Is now a good time to mention I'm going on vacation? *Looks out the window to see a mob ready to burn me at the stake for this ending* No? Well good because I'm not going to. I just bask in the annoyance you guys have towards me for teasing you.


	5. Chapter 5

S.R: So I wanted to wait a few days and see what you guys were saying about how the guild would react before sharing this one… But I got impatient. So this one is coming out early.

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Cana walked into the guild drawing a lot of attention, but her appearance wasn't enough to make everyone stop talking entirely. Not at first at least. So while she waited for it to quiet down so she could be heard calling for their attention, she glanced around. Wendy was sitting at a table just to her left, happily drinking some juice with Carla sitting across from her. Gajeel strangely was sitting beside the white exceed, rather than in his usual corner but Cana chose not to make a big deal about it. Erza and Gray were at a table close to the bar while Lucy was leaning on the bar counter talking to Mira. Her normal drinking buddies Wakaba and Macao were sitting at a table right next to the bar and they both called for her to join them but she shook her head. The next person she noticed was the master. He was just sitting on the bar counter, but when he noticed her looking he gave a comforting smile and nodded.

Coughing into her hand she called for everyone's attention.

"**Ahem. **I've got an announcement to make!"

the chatter died down a bit but a few people were still talking away which irritated her.

"I said I've got an announcement to make!"

When she yelled this time the room became silent. Nodding in satisfaction she smiled softly.

"Okay. So you guys all know that I haven't been to the guild in a while. I do have a reason and I want to share it with you all but I need to mention a few things before that..."

No one spoke up though she could see several people were waiting for her to go on.

"First, yes it's true that I haven't been to the guild since taking a job with Natsu. But it's not for any reason you guys might think, so don't go jumping down his throat" She said, before turning to face Erza, her words locking the red head in place as she was raising up from her seat to find the pink haired man. Satisfied that for the moment her partner in this situation was safe she continued. "Technically I was staying away because of something that happened on the job. But what you all need to know is that Natsu's reason for being away as well was a lie. Well the fact that he needed to expand his house isn't but the reason he gave behind needing to do that was a lie."

Gray and Elfman both muttered about how they were going to kick his ass for lying to them, but other than that it was still silent as people waited for her to get to the point.

"We agreed on something and both of us needed to be here to announce it, so I stayed away until he was able to come to the guild hall again. That is the real reason I haven't been here… Now I know some of you are curious, but I need you to stay as calm and quiet as possible when I bring Natsu in."

Even though only a few people were genuinely curious about what the big deal was she made everyone in the guild promise to stay calm and not get loud. When she was satisfied she walked out of the guild and over to the bench.

"I've got them quiet and calm. Hopefully this won't shock them too much though. I'd hate for them to get loud or rowdy and scare Michiko."

"Yeah, that would suck. Though if it does happen you can trust me to handle it. Heck I might even have some help in dealing with it."

Natsu replied as he stood, his words confusing Cana. But she didn't ask because they needed to show Michiko to the guild already. When they walked in with the baby in Natsu's arms it was so silent that a pin hitting the floor would sound as loud as a gunshot.

"Hey guys."

Natsu said nonchalantly. Cana had to suppress the urge to face palm at his attempt to break the ice. But it worked. Several of the women whisper squealed about how cute the baby looked even though they couldn't really see her. They were the ones smart enough to recall their promise to stay quite and calm. Several people raised their voices a bit, but they were drowned out by one person in particular.

"What the fuck flame-brain?!"

Gray shouted. But he was instantly shushed by a growl from Natsu.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't swear."

"I second that actually. Now then for those of you that are curious, we had some unusual circumstances at the end of our job that lead us to adopting this little one."

Cana commented with a smile on her face as she gestured for Natsu to hold Michiko up a bit so everyone could see her. Lucy and some of the older members of the guild shifted uneasily at the idea Cana had just presented, the duo in front of them weren't really known for being responsible. However Erza **Re-equipped** a sword and pointed it towards Natsu threateningly before they could even try to get more details about things from the two.

"I have nothing against either of you. But neither of you are responsible enough to be parents. Hand her over so she can be taken to an orphanage or to find a foster family."

Michiko was getting a little antsy and scared at the tone of Erza's voice. She wasn't outright crying, but Natsu, Cana, and the adults that had experience raising children could all tell she was distressed, clinging even tighter to Natsu than she had when they walked in. Natsu was growling towards Erza since his instincts were screaming to protect the little girl in his arms.

Most of the guild looked on expecting the master to back Erza, and force the two to let someone else take care of the baby. Yet he was quiet and said nothing as Erza confronted the two. Natsu and Cana had already figured that he wasn't going to intervene until he had too. They were still proving themselves to be capable of raising the little girl after all. But the one thing most of the guild wasn't expecting to see in regards to Erza's demand was that Cana moved stand in front of the pink haired man with her arms out.

"Back off Erza. You don't know the entire situation yet."

Almost everyone was shocked to see Cana standing up to Erza, it was the first time they'd seen her standing so confidently in anything other than drinking contests. But they were absolutely stunned when Wendy and Gajeel stood up and got between the two, staring Erza down. The first part of his comment was directed towards Cana, but the rest of it was towards Erza and the guild in general.

"Unless Salamander mentioned it, I don't think you know the whole thing either. Suffice to say if he's dead set on raising that little girl you'd have to go through the girlie and I to even get to him. That means killing us. You manage that and still want to separate the two? The one of you will die. Period."

Gajeel spoke gruffly, as Wendy nodded beside him. The look in the blue haired girls eyes telling everyone it was a pretty serious situation. Then again the fact that the two of them were already on guard, and very tense was the only clue they needed to see just how serious it was.

"Surely you don't believe they can handle being parents?!"

Erza nearly shouted in outrage at being disobeyed. Several people nodded their heads at that. Cana was the guild drunk after all, and Natsu was… Well Natsu wasn't parent material in their eyes. At this point Michiko was getting really uneasy, whimpering and clinging to Natsu with a vice grip. Since he had told Cana to leave it to him if things went south Natsu gently handed the baby girl over to Cana, though he struggled to get out of her grip without hurting the little one. Once he was out of her reach Natsu smoothly cut between Wendy and Gajeel to stand before Erza with a defiant glare.

"For once in your life Erza, shut up and pay attention to what you're told. I'd hate to see you get killed for not understanding what's going on right now."

Since they knew Natsu was stubborn, everyone had expected him to stand up to Erza, but they weren't expecting the cold tone. Natsu had spoken so harshly, that they were worried he would attack Erza anyway. Lucy was staring at him as if he'd grown another head. Normally Erza scared the snot out of him, and yet he was not only disobeying her, he had basically threatened her as well.

At that point, Makarov cut in. His final test in making sure the two were completely ready to be parents was to see how they handled themselves if the guild disagreed. They passed, and so he stepped in before things escalated too far.

"Enough! Stand down Erza. They've been doing just fine for almost two weeks now."

"You knew about this master!?"

She screeched, which caused the Dragon Slayers to cover their ears in pain. Michiko whimpered a little louder at the sound, which caused Cana to shoot the red head a glare before she went back to comforting the baby in her arms.

"Of course I did! This is a serious matter after all. Ever since they came back to Magnolia I've been testing them to see if they could handle the responsibility. Though I find myself disappointed you don't have faith in them, especially given Natsu is one of your teammates."

Looking around the room Erza noticed a few people agreed with her but were letting her be the one to speak for them, she also noticed that the moment the master spoke up they all were cowed into submission. Since she wasn't going to have anyone backing her she sighed in frustration while lowering her sword.

"I don't like it."

She commented. A few people nodded their heads slightly but didn't speak up, unwilling to risk making things escalate again, because of just how dangerous the group involved was. If any of them fought seriously it would destroy the guild hall at the very least.

"Too bad. It's happening anyway."

Natsu growled, with an agreeing nod coming from Cana. Wendy and Gajeel were still standing behind Natsu, both ready to fight if they had to. Levy of course was curious as to why they jumped to Natsu's aid so fast.

"Okay, putting the matter of everyones thoughts on Natsu and Cana raising a baby aside for the moment…. Why did you two get involved?"

The blue haired woman said as she pointed to the **Wind** and **Iron** Dragon Slayers. Natsu ignored her in favor of standing by Cana and making sure Michiko wasn't still scared.

"I can't believe I have to admit it, especially out loud… Salamander is the strongest of us. That means he's the alpha of our pack. We've said it time and time again, we Dragon Slayers are different. As in we are half dragon. Which means we have the same instincts as a dragon."

Gajeel answered, though he made sure he was being loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Gajeel's right. Since we have the same instincts as a dragon, we'll act and behave the same way they would in this situation. Natsu's bonded with her, so we'll protect both of them. The alpha is always the last line of defense in this case."

Wendy continued for the black haired man. A few people were still confused, so Gajeel grunted out a simpler answer.

"She's Salamanders kid, plain and simple. The alpha is always the last line of protection for the hatchlings of a nest. He's our alpha. So if someone wants to get to the kid, they have to go through us to be able to get to him, to get to the girl."

"No, we understood that. We just don't see how that ties in with why you were so harsh towards Erza."

Mira commented her attention not even on the two Dragon Slayers, as she had a smile on her face while she watched Natsu and Cana interact with the baby. Macao and Makarov were the only two in the guild with even a slight clue as to why. After all they were the only ones in the guild that were parents.

"Titania scared the runt. In dragon culture that's perceived as a threat. When you threaten a dragons young the situation instantly becomes kill or be killed, no matter who you are. A dragon would do anything to protect not just their child but the child of any dragon in their nest."

"That's right. It doesn't matter if you are another member of the pack, it would still become kill or be killed. Even if it meant killing our best friend we would do it to protect the young ones of the nest... It was very hard to hold back and not instantly attack Erza because she didn't know."

Wendy echoed, her words drawing frowns from most of the guild, stunned that the young and innocent Wendy could mean what she had said. But they didn't realize that her age and personality didn't matter, she was still a Dragon Slayer and had the same instincts as the other two Dragon Slayers in the guild. Gajeel didn't say anything but they could see he agreed about it being hard to hold back and not fight Erza.

Since they were sure they'd satisfied everyone with their answers the two returned to their seats, but they kept an eye on Natsu and were still tense, ready to jump in front of him at even the slightest threat. Because the diversion was over the guild turned their attention back towards the two that started the whole mess.

Cana had let Natsu take the little girl, hoping his natural warmth could comfort her as she was still sniffling slightly from the fear she had at Erza's actions. But everyone noticed the vice grip the little girl had on Cana's fingers, even as she clung to the pink haired man that was holding her. Makarov smiled, as he now had something to capitalize on in defense of the two raising the little girl. After all he fully supported them even before he'd decided to test them on their resolve to be Michiko's parents. The tests were really just to prepare them to stand up to the guild should someone not agree with the idea of them raising the baby girl.

"When Cana said you didn't know the full situation Erza this is what she was talking about. The little one's mother died after begging Cana to get her child to safety. But when they finished the job, she was clinging to the two of them, completely unwilling to be handed over to anyone else, even the people that helped take care of her while her mother was alive."

Every member of guild looked down at that, sad to hear that the little one was orphaned. Even Gajeel, though he was only paying attention in the hopes of find out as much as he could about why his alpha seemed different.

"Still. Do you honestly think those two can be her parents? I mean Natsu tends to be brash and reckless to the extreme. Not to mention he gets distracted fairly easily. Plus you talk about Igneel around him and he gets tunnel vision. Cana is at least far more responsible in those aspects, but she also spends a lot of her time drinking. Even if it doesn't affect her, the image it presents isn't the greatest either."

Erza tried to argue, though even she was unsure why she was so against it. Makarov just sighed as he realized she was going to be stubborn about it.

"Erza listen to me. No one is perfect, and rarely if ever are people ready to be parents. You always, and I do mean always, learn as you go when it comes to parenting."

"But what about the points I offered? You can't argue against them can you?"

"Actually yes I can. In case you've forgotten Cana used to drink so much you didn't need to be a Dragon Slayer to smell the booze on her even from across the guild… But the scent of alcohol isn't even close to being that strong on her anymore, so at least she's making the effort to be a responsible parent. As for Natsu, why don't you ask Gray and Elfman about how he was when they helped him expand his home?"

Most of the guild realized it after he mentioned it, but Cana definitely didn't reek of booze anymore. When he mentioned that Gray and Elfman helped Natsu with working on his house, they all turned to the two.

"What are you looking us for? He was still the same old Flame-brain we all know."

"Gray, did he attempt to fight either of you at any point while you were working?"

The master asked after Gray spoke out idiotically.

"Nope. He even stopped me from hitting Elfman when he got annoying. Natsu just kept saying he didn't want to take forever to finish the job, or risk a fight starting and destroying his place."

Everyone that didn't already know that fact gasped. Natsu didn't try to fight Gray or Elfman at all? If this had been mentioned before he walked into the guild holding a child, they'd have thought he was sick. But at least in the case of Wakaba and Macao they were able to realize just how serious Natsu was with the entire thing. Though they were still uncertain if Natsu was father material.

Before anyone could say anything about the masters counter points to Erza's argument a giggled echoed from the little girl in Natsu's arms. He had finally succeeded in cheering her up, and just the adorable sound she made was enough to make everyone in the building smile. Natsu was making silly faces for her as she excitedly giggled and reached for his face. Both had sparkling eyes, as their mirth in each others company was evident.

But then Mira realized something. If Natsu wasn't building the extra room for Happy, and he had agreed to raise the little girl with Cana…. She squealed so loudly that Natsu nearly dropped the baby. Luckily Cana was fast enough to make sure their little girl didn't get hurt.

"What the heck was that about Mira?"

Natsu asked with a groan.

"Natsu you built the new room at your house for Cana and the baby didn't you?!"

Her words made light bulbs go off in everyones head as they connected the dots like she did. Erza looked flabbergasted at the idea of Natsu actually thinking about that. Gray was confused as to why Natsu would do that and why it mattered so much to Mira. Wakaba and Macao did spit takes with their drinks. Levy squealed as well, having had the same idea Mira did when she realized it. Wendy looked towards Mira in confusion about why she seemed so happy all of a sudden. Gajeel grumbled that the barmaid was nothing but trouble. Lucy also caught on to what the barmaid was thinking but she shook her head about it since Natsu was a bit too dense.

"We agreed that we were in this together, so I figured why not make it easier."

Natsu responded not knowing what Mira was getting at. Cana did know however and she blushed, unsure of how she felt about Mira's idea. Luckily she was saved from having to endure Mira's prodding. Michiko was getting hungry and it was being made obvious as she started sucking on Cana's finger having not let go of it even though she was no longer clinging to her and Natsu for comfort after Erza's outburst.

"Looks like she's hungry."

Natsu commented with a chuckle. Cana also laughed about it.

"She normally naps after her lunch, so we weren't really planning to stay at the guild this long."

Cana said as the two made their way to the door, intending to take their little one home. No one stopped them as they left. It wasn't until they weren't in sight of the guild hall before anyone spoke up.

"WE COMPLETELY FORGOT TO ASK HER NAME!"

Mira shouted, upset at forgetting such an obvious thing. But the guild master just chuckled.

"Settle down Mira. I can answer that question. Her mother passed away before telling Cana her name so they gave her a new one. Their little girl is Michiko Alberona Dragneel."

Levy being the book smart girl she was, jumped up excitedly at that. She knew about the dead language it was from, and what it means.

"Do you know which one of them came up with that name?"

"Settle down there bookworm. I'm almost positive it was the Salamander that thought of that one."

Gajeel commented with a soft smile on his face as he looked at her. But it quickly vanished before anyone really noticed it.

"Flame-brain? Yeah right he's a dumb-ass."

Gray muttered as he took a swig from his drink. He had decided not to make a big deal about Natsu becoming a parent. He and Natsu were rivals yes, but they were also best friends. Erza was just the only one that knew it. Though that didn't mean the rest of the guild hadn't realized the communicated better through their fists than with words. But because of the fact he was Natsu's best friend he was the only person in the guild that knew just how much Natsu wanted to eventually have a huge family of his own.

Besides, Natsu and Cana had the guild to fall back on and help them fix their mistakes with raising the little girl. So he was pretty happy for them. Though that didn't stop him from teasing the pink haired man even when he wasn't there to defend himself.

"Actually Gajeel's right. Levy you should also know why since you also know what the name Michiko means."

Makarov spoke up. Gajeel just grunted, he and Natsu were raised the same way with the same teachings after all. So if he knew about the dead language then of course Natsu would. Gajeel just happened to pay attention to more than what his adoptive father had taught him. Which was why he would be considered smarter than the Salamander.

"It's from a long forgotten language. The same one as Natsu's name for that matter."

Levy offered for those that were curious. After being prodded by Mira and Lucy, she explained. Natsu was a name that meant 'summer' in that language and Michiko was one of the many names that meant 'beautiful'.

"Natsu seems to be smarter than we all give him credit for."

Lucy commented, getting nods of agreement from most of the guild after the little lesson they'd gotten from Levy.

"He was raised by a dragon after all. Natsu probably knows more old and forgotten knowledge than I do at least. Maybe more than Levy does, but given how much she likes to learn I'm not sure."

Makarov reminded her.

"Master, I know Cana said that they were going home to feed her and then put her down for a nap, but do you think they'd let a few guests come see her?"

Mira asked, already making plans to visit Natsu's home. Surprisingly Wendy was the one that answered her.

"I don't know about Cana but I know Natsu wouldn't mind. Except for Erza. She's really got him on edge now."

"The girlie's right. Titania ain't welcome around there right now. Hell I'm still a bit on guard myself right now."

Gajeel mentioned as he glared towards her. Erza frowned though she understood that she'd really upset them. That didn't stop her from asking what had been on her mind since Wendy and Gajeel explained why they were ready to fight with all they had to protect Natsu and Michiko.

"You guys weren't serious earlier when you said to take her away from Natsu I'd have to kill him were you?"

"Titania you'd have to kill all three of us Dragon Slayers to do that. But no we were not kidding. It's instinctive in all dragons and Dragon Slayers to protect the young like that. Actually it's instinctive to protect any and all young ones, not just those from our pack. You ever want to see what a Dragon Slayer can do when we aren't holding back at all? Watch how viciously we protect children."

* * *

S.R: Yeah… Erza's in trouble with Natsu. Which is strange since she's one of my favorite Fairy Tail characters. I never thought I'd write something that has Natsu upset with her. But well it was either her or Lucy. At this point I think I've made it clear in my other stories how little regard I have for the blonde. Plus she doesn't really have the power to stand up to Natsu like Erza does. Oh, before I forget, I answered this in a PM, but this takes place before the Edolas arc.


	6. Chapter 6

S.R: Okay so you guys all seem to be ready for Lisanna and the Edolas arc… Not yet. I'm going to take a few chapters to do some daily life stuff with Natsu and Cana while they raise Michiko. I mean this isn't a retelling of the canon story with random inserts when convenient.

* * *

Even though Mira wanted to go visit Natsu's home and get the chance to hold Michiko, she was talked into waiting until the next day since the bar became extremely busy after the two announced that they'd adopted Michiko. So she forced the master to let her have the next day off.

Which was why Cana opened the door to find the barmaid standing in front of her.

"Hi Cana."

"Come on in Mira."

Cana spoke before leading the white haired woman towards the living room. When the entered Mira couldn't help but squeal at the adorable sight of Natsu sitting in one of the leather chairs with Michiko in his lap as he read to her.

"If only the others could see this. The two of them together are so cute!"

Mira whispered to Cana, not wanting to interrupt Natsu's story. Cana nodded her head unable to disagree. The duo quietly sat down on the couch as they did their best to make as little sound as possible so Natsu could read for Michiko without any interruptions. When he finished reading to Michiko she giggled happily while he smiled at her.

"Hi Mira. You didn't have to let me finish reading her story."

"But you were getting so into it. I'm sure if you weren't holding her you'd have been using your hands to help tell the story."

She replied, chuckling at the pink haired man. Natsu had figured Mira and some of the others from the guild would try to come by and see Michiko so he stood from his seat and took the two steps he needed to be standing next to her seat on the couch.

"I know you want to hold her. Since Cana's next to you it shouldn't be too bad, but please don't feel bad if she doesn't warm up to you for a bit."

After saying that Natsu handed Michiko to Mira. The little girl squirmed, not quite happy about leaving Natsu's arms. She was about to start crying because of the fact it was a stranger holding her, but Cana tickled her stomach as she got the baby girls attention before letting Michiko hold her hand with her two tiny hands.

"Wow, she's really attached to the two of you."

Mira commented as Natsu took the chance to head towards the kitchen. Michiko had eaten just before he started reading to her, so the little one would probably be falling asleep soon. Which meant he and Cana would be able to get some lunch for themselves. Cana smiled sadly as she gave Mira the full story on how she and Natsu had come to adopt Michiko. But the white haired woman merely responded that they had done the right thing.

"You know, I still wasn't sure Natsu and I could handle this responsibility. But yesterday when Erza pointed her sword at Natsu and demanded that we hand Michiko over to be taken to an orphanage or foster family…. I acted without thinking. I just saw her sword and that it was pointed in Michiko's direction. That was all that mattered to me when I stood up to Erza."

"Well you are her mother. Of course you'll protect her."

Mira responded as she looked up from her cooing at the baby girl Natsu had let her hold.

"It wasn't until Natsu and I put her down for her afternoon nap yesterday that it really sunk in. He and I sat here talking as I realized she was my daughter now and not just some child we're raising…"

Mira was silent as she let Cana speak.

"But you know what Mira? I think Natsu and I needed this to happen. Agreeing to raise Michiko together has caused us to think about a lot of stuff and grow up a bit."

"I don't know if you needed it to happen, but it did and you guys are certainly going to give it your all."

The white haired woman said with a supportive smile. She could easily see how the situation had forced the two to mature. At that point an adorable sounding yawn was made by the baby in her arms. Cana and Mira both looked down to see Michiko fighting off sleep. The little girl was still uncomfortable being held by Mira but she was getting used to it, since she had stopped squirming and even let Cana move her hand away. But it wasn't enough for the little one to just fall asleep in her arms yet.

"Alright, alright little one. It's time for your nap anyway."

Cana spoke softly as she accepted Michiko from Mira, and gently carried the baby up to her room. Mira followed since she had nothing better to do and it was such an adorable scene she had to see more.

Settling into the rocking chair, Cana slowly and calmly began rocking herself. The motion was very soothing for Michiko who closed her eyes and smiled softly. After a few minutes the baby was fast asleep. But Cana kept rocking for another minute just to be sure, before putting Michiko in her crib. After they'd returned from the guild yesterday Cana and Natsu realized they didn't buy any monitor lacrimas. So while Cana put their daughter to sleep Natsu rushed out and bought some. Turning them on for the first time the brunette woman left one next to the crib and grabbed the other before returning downstairs with the guilds poster woman in tow.

They walked into the kitchen where Natsu was just finishing up with a few simple grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

"Michiko taking her nap now?"

Natsu asked as he noticed the absence of the baby.

"Yeah, she's in her crib."

Cana replied as he handed her a plate with the cheesy sandwich. He handed one to Mira as well, surprising the white haired woman.

"I wasn't sure if you'd eaten or not, but I figured I'd make something for you anyway. It'd be mean for Cana and I to eat in front of you while you're here."

He told her as he placed a sandwich of his own on a plate for him before joining the two at the dinning room table. Mira just smiled and thanked him for being considerate as they sat down. The trio made small talk as they ate, Mira noticing a few subtle things between her companions that made her smile. Though she also thought to herself, wondering what her little sister would have thought of the situation.

In the end her curiosity got the better of her.

"You two sure have gotten pretty close because of all this."

Mira commented. Her tone reminded Cana of when the would gossip about the relationships in the guild. Which caused the brunette to blush heavily at the unexpected thoughts that came to her mind. Natsu on the other hand replied in such a way that left Cana blushing even harder, and Mira surprised.

"I'm happy that Cana's my partner in all of this. I wouldn't choose anyone else."

At that moment the back door, which lead directly into the kitchen opened up and Natsu's blue companion Happy made his appearance, distracting them. He was munching on a fish, so the group figured he finally caught enough fish to satisfy him for a bit.

"Natsu I'm bored."

He groaned. They hadn't done anything interesting since before Cana asked for Natsu's help on the job that lead them to adopting Michiko.

"Sorry buddy. There's not much we can do right now. Until Michiko gets used to some more people Cana and I both need to be here."

"What about money? I know you don't normally get a lot of the job rewards since you have to split it with the rest of your team, and Cana really only did enough jobs to keep her labeled as an active mage so she really doesn't have a lot saved up either."

Mira questioned, concerned how they were handling that aspect of raising a baby.

"Did you know that on one of the jobs Natsu and Happy took back when Team Natsu was just the two of them, one of the rewards was some freshly mined uncut diamonds?"

Cana answered, letting Mira know that money wasn't as much of a concern as they first thought it would be.

"That reminds me, gramps said he had a friend who could appraise them. Maybe we should talk to him about getting that done."

Natsu commented as he finished up his sandwich. Since it was a good idea Cana agreed to head over to the guild after Michiko woke up from her nap. Now that they knew about her, she and Natsu wanted to slowly get the little girl used to being around the other guild members. After all Fairy Tail was their family.

Even though they could afford to take some time off money wise, they couldn't take too much time off or they risked becoming semi-active wizards. That was a problem because semi-active wizards were limited in what jobs they could take, and those jobs couldn't always guarantee as much of a reward as the missions an active mage could take. Which would hurt them in the long run.

**Two Hours Later**

Since Natsu and Cana were going to head for the guild when Michiko woke up Mira decided to stay until then. Because of the fact it was a fairly unusual situation they just made small talk while they sat in Natsu's living room. When Michiko finally woke up she was pleasantly surprised that Natsu was the one to rush up to their little girl's crib.

Following Cana up the stairs she was stunned to see Natsu had already dealt with the reason the little one had woken up, which was the fact she needed changed.

"I would have thought Natsu would avoid being the one to change her, given his sense of smell."

"It wouldn't be fair to Cana if I did that. Besides this time she was just wet, so it wasn't that bad."

Mira thought she whispered it quietly enough to Cana but Natsu still heard her and responded. Since Natsu had moved on to getting the little girl dressed, the blanket she'd been wrapped in while Mira held her before had been removed which let the white haired barmaid see the onesie and smile.

"You had to get her clothes that were Fairy Tail related didn't you?"

"Of course."

Natsu and Cana responded in unison. Michiko was wearing the black onesie they'd bought her, which had the fairy tail emblem on the front and back in white. To keep things simple her outfit was finished off with a pair of white shorts. Then Natsu picked her up with a smile, one that was echoed on the giggling baby's face. He had already put the baby carrier on, so he carefully placed her inside the sling and turned to Mira and Cana. The diaper bag was on the ground by the door so it was closer to them, and already packed so after Cana picked it up they were ready to go, as Happy floated in the air beside Natsu.

When they got to the guild the were greeted by several people, though because most of them were closer to the door it was at an acceptable volume level and didn't scare Michiko. Sadly there was a brawl going on so not everyone noticed them enter. Which lead to Cana tossing some of her cards into the air as she used her **Card Dimension **spell to disrupt the fighting before something could be thrown towards Natsu and Michiko. She knew that Natsu would protect them, but it would still aggravate both her and the pink haired man. Not to mention the risk of upsetting their child would be high in that situation.

"I don't care if you guys fight, but you better start paying attention to your surroundings! If I hadn't done that, Gray would have jumped over Elfman and he would have collided with Natsu who is holding Michiko at the moment."

She berated them, drawing apologies from all of them, especially Gray and Elfman. After that she let the group go, canceling her spell. Most of them were surprised to see her being so protective, and then they remembered how she stood up to Erza.

Macao and Wakaba both proudly smiled as they thought to themselves about how Cana was shaping up to be a great mother for the little girl. She'd cut back on drinking, she was very protective, and from what they could see of her outfit, she was even dressing a bit more conservatively to be a better role model for when Michiko was old enough to remember things.

So when she approached them to ask where the master was, they took the moment to tell her how proud they were. Mira and Natsu had followed along though Natsu was only half paying attention, instead playing 'I got your nose' with Michiko who was happily laughing and smiling at him.

"Natsu's pretty responsible too. When I got to his house earlier he was reading her a story. While I was holding Michiko, he even went and made us lunch. Plus when she woke up from her nap, he was the one to change and dress her."

"Just by looking at him right now I can tell how much he cares about that little girl. Seeing him like this is all the proof I need to agree with the master on allowing you two to be her parents. It's a shame Erza wasn't here to see it."

Wakaba commented, as he removed his pipe from his mouth. Even though they all knew it was for his magic, he decided that while the little one was around he wouldn't smoke at all. That way he wouldn't risk her getting sick because of it. Cana smiled appreciatively at him for that.

"Oh, to answer your earlier question, the masters in his office at the moment."

Macao commented as he remembered the whole reason Cana had even walked up to them at the bar. Nodding her head in thanks Cana lead Natsu up to Makarov's office. The door was open so they just walked in, though Natsu shut it after them.

"What brings you two to my office today?"

"Gramps, you mentioned having a friend that could appraise diamonds right?"

Nodding, the guild master affirmed that he had mentioned it once before to Natsu after he'd gotten the uncut diamonds as a job reward.

"Would you mind introducing us?"

Cana asked, getting right to the point.

"I can do that, but it would be a better idea if only one of you were to go and meet him. He doesn't like having children in his workplace, and unless Michiko trusts someone other than the two of you, at least one of you would need to be here with her."

"Make sense. Well since they're Natsu's diamonds he should be the one to go."

Natsu didn't see a problem with that so he agreed with Cana.

"Alright. I'll see when he can pencil us in."

"That works for me gramps."

With that the conversation was over, and they left Makarov's office. When they returned down to the ground floor Mira, Levy, Wendy, and Carla approached. Mira because she just couldn't get enough of how adorable Michiko was. Levy and Wendy came closer because things were calmer around the baby now and they wanted to hold her. Michiko struggled for a moment at first while Levy held her, but she settled down much faster than she had when Mira was holding her. Something Natsu and Cana both noticed, though they didn't say anything about it because it could possibly hurt Mira's feelings.

"She's so adorable."

Levy whispered, despite the fact Michiko was awake and they didn't have to be quiet so long as it was at a calm volume level. Wendy and Carla both nodded their heads. Though the white cat did speak up.

"You know, I agreed with Erza yesterday based off what I had seen from you two. I didn't expect you to change how you act and prove us wrong, but you did. I apologize for not supporting you at first."

Carla had a very remorseful look on her face. As if she was genuinely sorry to not have given them the chance to prove themselves before forming her opinion. But Cana just shrugged her off.

"It's fine Carla. We know how things looked. Besides you and Wendy haven't been around to really get to know us, so I kinda expected it."

"I'm happy to know you support us though."

Natsu commented, a smile on his face as he looked towards Carla.

After that the conversation became lighthearted as they began talking about Michiko. Though they were surprised to she her snuggle into Wendy when the young blue haired girl got her turn to hold the baby. By the end of the day and seeing how she reacted with the others in the guild when they came to see her, it was determined Michiko was okay with Wendy holding her because her magic was similar in feeling to Natsu's.

"Wait does that mean she'd be okay with Gajeel?"

Cana asked when they realized it. But since he was out on a job they were unable find out.

"We can find out some other time. Besides I think Michiko's ready for bed."

Natsu chuckled as the baby girl started nodding off against his chest since he was the one holding her at that point. The brunette agreed that going home sounded like a nice idea and they left. The few people that were still sitting around were shocked to see just how readily Cana called Natsu's place home. Happy floated along behind them, following his best friend home.

"They grow up so fast."

Makarov chuckled from his seat on the bar. He'd come down and joined the guild for a while before Natsu and Cana left to put Michiko to bed.

"What do you mean master?"

Wendy questioned, confused as to why the guild master and a few of the other older members in the guild were calling Natsu a lucky B word.

"We've known those two since they were younger than you. But to see them grow so close, we can tell where the future is going for them."

But the young Dragon Slayer was still confused. Makarov's just chuckled and said she'd understand when it happened. Wakaba and Macao reacted similarly when she asked them what the guild master had meant.

**Meanwhile **

Natsu and Cana laid Michiko down in her crib so she could sleep, before sneaking out of the room as quietly as they could. Everything involving Michiko felt like it was instinctive already, but when she wasn't around the two were slightly awkward with each other. Natsu because he wasn't sure how to bring up his previous statement about dating her, especially now that his opinion had gone from not minding it to wanting to. Cana was awkward because she didn't know what she thought of Natsu. She remembered him mentioning that he'd be okay with dating her when then first discussed raising Michiko. But she hadn't figured out how she felt about the idea, so she was still a little shy in regards to the pink haired man.

So rather than deal with the awkwardness they went to different rooms in the house. Cana to the living room to read. Though she wasn't actually paying attention to the book she'd picked out instead diving headlong into her thoughts. '_What do I actually think about Natsu?'_ She questioned herself, thinking that would be the best place to start.

While Natsu retreated to the basement and began lifting weights to kill time. Similarly to Cana he wasn't really focused on his actions, and instead lost in his thoughts. '_I know I told her I wouldn't mind dating her… But how and why did it suddenly become I want to date her? Why is that feeling growing stronger so quickly?'_

* * *

S.R: Daily life, and a little bit of proof for the guild that they can be responsible enough to be parents. Now depending on how quickly I drive myself insane with this it'll be anywhere from one to three chapters before we get to the Edolas arc. I have a hard time doing what could be labeled as 'slice of life' type stuff like this chapter, but hopefully I did okay by you guys with this one. See you guy's next time (which likely won't be until next month because I'm switching focus over to my **A Different Team Natsu** story for a bit now).


	7. Chapter 7

S.R: Before we get into the story I need to do a disclaimer again.

I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS EXCEPT FOR THE OCs THAT ARE INTRODUCED INTO THE STORY. I ALSO DO NOT OWN THE SONG THAT'S LYRICS WILL BE SHOWING UP IN THE STORY, I JUST GOT IT STUCK IN MY HEAD AND WANTED TO PUT IT IN THE STORY.

* * *

A few days had passed since Mira came by the house to see Michiko. Natsu and Cana had taken their daughter to the guild a couple times, and several other members came by Natsu's home during those days. It was all done in an effort to get the baby girl to become accustomed to the others in the guild so Natsu or Cana could take a quick job. But luck wasn't completely on their side.

They had been sitting in the guild hall for a bit. Cana was feeding Michiko her bottle as Wendy, Levy, and Mira all sat nearby and chatted about how adorable Michiko was. Natsu had been pulled off to the side of the room by Gray and Lucy. Erza would have been with them, but the council had asked for her, so the red headed knight was off on her own job.

"I know you can't take a job just yet, and that you have to choose some of the quicker ones when you do finally get the chance but… How does this affect our team?"

Lucy had asked, Gray was curious as well. He'd never admit it out loud, but even without Erza to force him along on the jobs they'd taken in the past he was happy and proud to be part of Team Natsu. Yet before Natsu could give them an answer a shout of "COOL!" caused him to groan.

"Jason, what brings you to Fairy Tail today?"

The guild master asked as he stood up from his seat at the bar and turned towards the door. The young man that he addressed just shouted 'COOL!' again. But then he quickly ran up to Makarov to talk.

"I came by to hopefully get an interview and info on why a couple members of your guild haven't been seen out on jobs for almost a month now. I'd rather get the truth than just go by the rumors that have been spreading."

Natsu having heard the man stiffened. He knew the reporter was wanting to talk to him and Cana. Several other guild members were a little stiff as well having realized the same thing Natsu had.

"I see. Well it's up to them if you get that information or not."

"Yes, I know. Uh is there somewhere I can wait while they decide to talk to me or not?"

"You can use my office."

Nodding his head in thanks the reporter dashed up the stairs and into the guild masters office, as everyone turned to face Cana and Natsu. They all knew why Natsu avoided interviews, but since he heard the kind of things Jason wanted to talk about they were unsure as to if Natsu would agree to the interview this time. Cana also had a say in it, and considering how protective the duo were of Michiko, they wanted to know how she was going to handle things as well.

The two adults just stared at each other for a moment. Nothing was said as they maintained eye contact, a private and secret conversation going on just by looking at each other. Sighing Cana stood up, and walked towards the stairs as Natsu fell into step beside her. Since the brunette was holding Michiko Natsu entered the office first.

"Do not shout cool, or get loud. If you do this talk is over got it?"

Natsu growled, towards Jason who nodded his head eagerly. Now that he knew they weren't going to have to worry about the man being loud and startling Michiko who was starting to yawn and nod off in Cana's arms he opened the door back up for the **Card** mage to join them. When Jason noticed the baby in her arms his eyes went wide, as confusion overcame his mind. He was about to shout a question of how, but Natsu growled at him and it reminded the reporter than he'd promised not to get loud.

Sheepishly nodding his head towards Natsu he stayed quiet as Cana sat down beside the pink haired man.

"I can see you've already figured out the reason we haven't been active this month. Let me explain why."

Cana commented having decided to move things along. She explained how the little girl her arms came to be adopted by the two of them, and Jason bowed his head in silence for the girls birth mother. A few more details about things were given by Natsu, and then the room was quiet as Jason gathered his thoughts.

"I see. That's a pretty big and important reason to be less active alright. Normally I'd just ask some questions and take some notes, but if I may make a suggestion?"

Jason stated, his words drawing Cana and Natsu's interest.

"Go on."

They replied in unison.

"Alright, this is just a suggestion but… Allow me to hold a proper interview with the two of you in a few days. That way I have some time to get some questions together that are more suitable for the actual situation. Plus I can convince my boss to pay the two of you for giving said interview. I know parenting isn't cheap so this way you can get some money out of the deal."

Natsu and Cana were both a little surprised to see the man being thoughtful of their situation.

"That works for me. When would you like to hold this interview?"

"Well Cana, I could come back in two days, probably with about a hundred and fifty thousand jewels for each of you for doing the interview. Or..."

"Or what?"

Natsu asked.

"Hear me out before you say yes or no. Just from how the two of you have acted this entire time I can see you clearly love Michiko and would do anything to keep her safe. This may seem a bit counter intuitive but… We would pay for your trip and stay if you came to Crocus for the interview. I suggest this because if you come to Crocus we can also have a small photo shoot. Pictures are normally seen as some of the best forms of proof, and if we had a few to go along with the interview it would go a long way in showing the public how much and how deeply you care about her. Plus if we do it this way I think I could convince my boss to pay you four times what he would if I just came back for the interview."

The two parents were stunned by Jason's idea. But after a moment of consideration they realized the man was right. After all it was easy to say something and then do the opposite. So words might not be enough. Sighing Natsu nodded his head towards Cana as a signal that it was her decision.

"We'll go with your suggestion if you don't mind."

"I'm just happy to help, I remember how much my older sister complained about money issues when she she was raising her son... Now, I know you can handle yourselves but after this news gets out a lot of dark guilds may target her to get to you Natsu. I would hate for news I've published to cause harm to anyone, especially a young child, so after the article gets published I would probably ask for some other guild members to stay close by and help keep an eye out if I were you."

Jason replied as he stood. Though after mentioning his sister he turned towards Natsu. Even though he'd never done and interview and most of the news about him was just accounts of the destruction he's caused, everyone in Fiore knew the man had made enemies of almost every dark guild in the country.

"We probably will get that extra help, but I can promise you this Jason. If anyone tries to hurt her while I'm around their life is forfeit. Ask any dragon slayer, if someone tries to harm a child in front of us it will become a fight to the death."

The way Natsu responded held such a strong conviction that Jason couldn't help but pity whoever would be dumb enough to make an enemy of Natsu by even thinking about harming his daughter.

**A Few Days Later**

Natsu and Cana had traveled to Crocus for the interview with Jason. Of course Michiko was with them, but surprisingly they drew very little attention despite how well known they were. So their ride towards the capital city of Fiore was extremely boring. Since it was still fairly early the duo decided to head over to the Sorcerer's Weekly magazine building and get the interview out of the way before checking into their hotel.

After checking in at the lobby they had a short wait while Jason set up a room for the interview. During this time they were setting close to a man who was constantly muttering to himself and then shaking his head.

"It's a good thing gramps was on board with this idea. I mean we're doing this to tell the public why we aren't going to be as active, but it also lets me get the chance to warn that I' not going to hold back in the slightest when it comes to protecting Michiko."

Natsu commented to Cana as they patiently waited. But the man that was close to them turned at the sound of his voice and smiled.

"That's it! that's the sound I was looking for. Excuse me sir do you mind if I ask for your help?"

"Uh, we'll be busy in a few moments with an interview so sorry pal."

"I didn't mean right this moment. See I'm a well know songwriter on top of being a mage. I have this song that I created, but I've been looking for the right sounding voice to record it. The moment I heard you speak I thought it would be perfect."

Natsu was unsure after hearing the mans situation.

"Um… I'm not much of a singer."

At that moment their conversation was interrupted as Jason came to collect Natsu and Cana for their interview about becoming adoptive parents. Even though Natsu didn't seem to want to accept his request the man handed him a business card. Pocketing it Natsu followed Cana and Jason to the room that had been set up for them.

"Okay, so before I start asking the questions my boss and I came up with, I figured we'd recap with the info you gave me the other day. Mostly because the flow of this conversation is how the article will be set up, which means it's best to start at the beginning."

The reporter commented as they sat down. He had a pad of paper and a pen in his hand, but there was also a recording lacrima set up on the table between them in case he needed to reference something word for word.

Nodding Cana started off by talking about how she had accepted a job by herself, only to learn she would need help. Natsu chimed in at that point explaining how she came back to the guild and asked for his help, and the fact he rushed them back towards the vineyard the job was located at.

"But we weren't quite fast enough as a den of drakes had already started to destroy everything. We split up at that point, Natsu charging in to fight the drakes while I rescued all the people that were still trapped in their homes. I thought I had cleared all the houses already, and started to make my way to help Natsu when I heard a high pitched cry."

Cana was shaking at this, as she recalled the scene and tears came to her face. She squeezed Michiko a bit tighter in her arms unknowingly. It wasn't enough to harm the little one though, but Natsu noticed it and put an arm around the brunette and rubbed her arm with his hand in an attempt to calm her.

"I was too late to save the mother, but she begged me to get her daughter to safety."

Cana was silent after that, unable to continue speaking about how things played out. Her mind still picturing the broken form of Michiko's birth mother.

"By this time Cana had also fought and beaten two of the drakes. But she had used too much magic and was not able to fight when a third approached her. I managed to stop it in time, since it was the last one by that point. The little one was asleep during all of this but we kept her safe."

Natsu picked up, for her and finished explaining how the mission went. He continued on to mention that when Michiko woke up as they were walking towards the place Cana had sent all the people she'd saved, the little girl didn't cry or panic. She was completely content and happy which was a relief and a shock to both of them.

Cana had pulled herself back together by this point and finished explaining how they came to adopt Michiko.

"When we tried to hand her over towards the people I'd saved, she became extremely fussy and sobbed uncontrollably. They were unable to comfort her in any way. It wasn't until Natsu tried to soothe her that she stopped. But when he tried to get someone else to hold her like I had, she began crying again. Somehow she had grown attached to the two of us."

"Yeah. I mean those were people that probably helped her mother take care of her but she was clinging to us instead. Not to mention I hate it when people are sad and wouldn't have been able to bare leaving her crying in someone else's care. So after a bit of debate and hesitation Cana and I agreed to take care of her."

Natsu stated, agreeing with Cana on the fact Michiko was attached to them at already at that point. Jason just nodded his head. He completely understood what Natsu meant, just from the stories he had heard from the members of Fairy Tail when interviewing them in the past, the reporter could tell Natsu was the kind of person that would do anything to keep people happy.

"Okay, now to move on to the questions my boss and I had come up with."

Jason spoke before beginning the second half of their interview.

**Hours Later**

After their interview about becoming parents Natsu asked if Jason would bring his boss into the room for a moment. He was unsure but did as the pink haired man wanted him to.

"You wanted to see me Mr. Salamander?"

"Well we talked with gramps about it, and after he said it was okay for this interview, he gave me the idea to ask if I could do a separate one. Since we are being paid for this one I figured I'd ask if you would pay for an interview with just me. After all I've never really done an interview before so it could be pretty huge."

"Why certainly. Now, because it would be an exclusive interview with you, do you mind if we hold off on the article about you and Miss. Alberona adopting little Michiko?"

"That would be better actually. It gives us a bit more time to find other members in the guild that Michiko would be okay with if something happened and either of us needed to fight or something."

Cana chimed in, accepting the idea Jason's boss presented. After that it was agreed that Sorcerer's Weekly would pay the hotel Natsu and Cana would be staying in for another few nights. With that wrapped up they left the Sorcerer's Weekly office, only to run into the man that had asked Natsu about singing again.

"I really don't know about doing it. But if you keep asking the answer will quickly become no."

Natsu growled at the man, tired and wanting to just head to their hotel room already.

"That's perfectly fine with me. I wanted to let you think it over anyway, but then I thought maybe you'd like to take a look at the lyrics before making your decision."

With that the man handed Natsu a piece of paper, and then walked away. Shrugging Natsu folded the paper and put it in his pocket. He and Cana then made their way towards their hotel and checked in. After a couple more hours had passed it became time to put Michiko to sleep. Normally they'd rock her to sleep while reading, but since they couldn't do that Natsu was gently swaying with her in his arms as he hummed. Strangely the little girl fought of sleep. Almost as if she didn't want to go to bed yet.

"Maybe you could try singing instead of humming?"

Cana offered as she stood up from the bed and made her way towards the bathroom for a shower. Natsu went to reply that he didn't know any songs, but then he recalled the folded piece of paper in his pocket. He struggled to unfold it one handed, but somehow how he managed. Setting it on the night stand below the lacrima lamp so he could see he began.

"When you need picked up 'cause you fell down

Need a piggyback ride or a birthday clown

Need a song to take you to sleepy town

I'll be there"

He had to stop himself from snorting at that line, since he was using the song to do just that for Michiko. Even though he was trying to keep his voice down and soft so as to lull the baby to sleep, Cana was able to hear him. Michiko was smiling as Natsu gently swayed his arms, the sound of his voice and the movement combined was enough for her to relax. She was still fighting off sleep, but not as strongly as before. So Natsu continued to sing.

"When you need a coach or you need a fan

Need a castle built out of ocean sand

Or a rainbow chaser, I'm your man

I'll be there"

Natsu took a breath here, before continuing on a smile on his face as the lyrics spoke to him.

"I'll be a tear dryer, A paper airplane flyer, A monster runner-offer if you get scared

I'll be a sap, I'll be a sucker, A story maker-upper

Anytime, Anything, Anywhere, I'll be there"

He was really getting into the lyrics, at this point. His smile stretched from ear to ear. In the shower Cana was smiling just as strongly, the way he sang the song, and the lyrics themselves leading her to see Natsu being the perfect father for Michiko and any children they'd have in the future. Though she blushed when she realized that she was picturing them together as parents of more children. The baby Natsu was singing to and for yawned contently, a warm and happy smile still present on her face.

"When you break your heart or skin your knee

Need a big ol' hug or a bowl of ice cream

I promise you can count on me

I'll be a heart mender, A prayer sender, A hopper and believer when it's all up in the air

A strong and steady shoulder, I'll be a secret holder

Anytime, Anything, Anywhere, I'll be there"

Michiko had already drifted off to sleep at this point but Natsu didn't care. He was going to finish the song. His smooth rocking motions continued as Michiko was still in his arms. After taking a deep breath he continued.

"I'll be there if you need a frown turned to a grin

Or if you need a hand just to hold your hand

Need a daddy or you just need a friend

I'll be there

I'll be there

I'll be there."

(**A/N: I KNOW NEITHER OF NATSU'S VOICE ACTORS SOUND EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE TO JOSH TURNER WHO ACTUALLY SINGS THIS SONG BUT I GOT IT STUCK IN MY HEAD AND IT FITS WITH HIS CHARACTER!**)

Natsu continued swaying his arms as he turned to the bed and laid Michiko down on it. He would have put her in a the crib if they were at home, but it was a hotel, and they didn't have one in the room. But he placed her in the middle of the bed. He didn't move after that, instead just staring down at his sleeping daughters face with a smile.

That was how Cana found him she she came out of the bathroom. Since things were still pretty awkward between the two, and she knew Natsu needed a shower as well, she had quickly dried herself off and gotten dressed rather than walk out into the room with just a towel like she would have if he wasn't there. Luckily she had already gotten rid of her blush from the thought of having more children with Natsu.

"That sounded really nice Natsu."

She commented as he stood up for his turn in the bathroom.

"Thanks Cana."

"I've never heard that song before. Did Igneel teach it to you?"

Natsu just shook his head and pointed towards the paper on the night stand. Cana went wide eyed at that. '_He wasn't sure about singing but he sounded amazing! Natsu should totally sing that song for the guy.'_ She thought to herself, as she began thinking about how to convince her pink haired partner to sing more.

* * *

S.R: I only have one thing to say. If you're curious about the song, it's called '**I'll Be There**' and is by Josh Turner. Hell even if you aren't curious about the song I'd tell you to look it up. Anyway I'll see you guys later.


	8. Chapter 8

S.R: Huh, there wasn't as big of a reaction to the song as I thought there would be last chapter. I was expecting more people to agree that it fits this stories version of Natsu to a T…. Anyway let's move on to the story.

* * *

It wasn't until Natsu came out of the bathroom and looked around the room that he realized something. He was slightly nervous once he noticed it, but the hotel room didn't have a couch. '_Probably because that bed is absolutely massive.'_ He thought before shaking his head as a blush came to his face as he looked towards the bed.

Michiko was nestled in the center of the bed, just like he'd left her. Cana was close by, having taken the side of the bed closest to the hotel room door. She had a small book in her hands, the lacrima lamp on the night stand next to her set on it's dimmest settings so as not to disturb Michiko while she read.

"Hey Cana?"

Natsu questioned, his face still red.

"Yeah?"

"Did you notice something off about the room?"

Natsu asked, the nervous sound to his voice drawing her attention away from the book in her hands.

"No not really, why?"

"There is no couch."

"Why is that a problem?"

Cana queried. In his head Natsu was shouting about how people thought he was dense. He resisted the urge to facepalm as she didn't realize what he had. Instead he took a deep breath.

"Since there's no couch, where am I gonna sleep?"

That made her eyes widen as she realized what Natsu was trying to point out. She was going to say the floor but bit her tongue when she noticed he was just as embarrassed as she now was. In the back of her mind a tiny voice spoke up saying '_You know it's not a huge deal. Besides that, you know you want to._' Squelching the voice in her head she gave Natsu an answer.

"This bed is pretty big. Since I'm already here I'll take this side and you can have the other side. Just remember Michiko is in the middle."

"Are you sure that's okay?"

Cana couldn't help but smile at how gentlemanly and respectful he was being.

"It's fine Natsu. I don't mind."

Somewhat stiffly Natsu climbed into the bed on the side closest to the window. He still felt a little awkward but he was glad that Cana didn't mind, especially since the floor didn't seem like it'd be comfortable. Now that he was in bed he frowned slightly. Normally he'd be chatting with Happy who'd be in his hammock at this point. But his flying blue friend didn't come with them to Crocus, so his usual nightly routine was shot.

Putting her book down on the night stand beside her, Cana decided to talk to Natsu about singing. She thought he sounded really good and could probably make a killing off the recording of him singing that song like the guy asked.

"Natsu, why don't you help that guy with his song? You sounded amazing, and I bet he'd be willing to pay you a fair bit for it."

Natsu instantly shook his head as he responded.

"That was the first time I've ever sang… Well first time I've sang a song with the human language, I know a few dragon folk songs thanks to Igneel, but I'm not really a fan of it. I mean music is cool and all, but it's not something I like to do. I'd rather be active and moving you know?"

The brunette could see his point. Natsu didn't really stop moving unless he was asleep. Even sitting in the bed she could see his body shaking as he tried not to move and wake Michiko up.

"Yeah, I can tell. But still it wouldn't hurt would it?"

"I mean yeah he could pay me for it and all, but we aren't so strapped for money that we'd take every opportunity to make some quick cash. Besides I don't think I sounded all that good."

"You really did though. But I won't push it. At least not that way. Ask him if you can keep the song for yourself to use as a lullaby for Michiko. Considering how peacefully she's sleeping I think she liked it too."

Cana responded, hoping he'd do as she asked. At least then she could hear him sing a bit more often when he was putting Michiko to sleep. Plus thinking about it that way made her feel special. '_If he treats it like a lullaby, then just the three of us would hear it.'_ She thought to herself, completely forgetting about Happy.

"So… I'll be busy with the interview tomorrow. What are you and Michiko going to do?"

Natsu commented drawing Cana from her thoughts.

"That's a good question… Well since they paid us for today's interview already maybe we'll go and get her a few more outfits. Plus the diaper bag is starting to run low on supplies, so I'll have to at least go buy some more diapers and wipes."

"I don't really plan on making it a long interview. Especially since gramps and I are supposed to go meet his friend to appraise my diamonds in a few days. So, why don't we meet up for lunch tomorrow before heading home?"

Natsu stated, explaining why he seemed to have a slight desire to rush already. Which made sense. They weren't in dire need of money, but they weren't going to be able to last another month before one of them would have to take a job. Not unless Natsu went with the guild master to get the diamonds appraised, which they had been talking about and planning for a while now.

"That works for me. I saw a nice little deli shop a couple blocks from the station. So let's meet up there okay?"

Natsu nodded before a yawn overcame him. Cana yawned as well. The duo chuckled at that before Cana rolled over and turned off the lacrima lamp. They both settled into bed, a little bit of awkwardness was still present since they were on their sides and facing each other. But neither of them really minded that awkwardness as they looked down at Michiko who was nestled between them.

**The Next Day A Few Hours After Noon**

Natsu and Cana had just returned to Magnolia with Michiko nestled in the older brunette's arms. Since they wanted to relax the two were heading towards Natsu's home in the forest rather than the guild. But Before they could get more than halfway down the street from the train station a bright light encompassed them. When he could see again Natsu was on his own with nothing surrounding him.

"What the hell?"

He shouted in confusion before slapping himself for his rough language. Ever since he and Cana agreed to adopt Michiko they'd been watching their words without really intending to so he'd gotten used to the idea. The sudden change to his surroundings just put him on edge enough to make him forget for a second, which was why he was mad at himself.

"Well… At least Michiko wasn't around to hear me."

He mumbled while looking at the area around him. There was absolutely nothing. It was as if the city completely vanished. Turning to face the spot the guild would be at, he noticed two shapes on the ground and a third standing above them worriedly. Rushing towards them he was able to see that it was Wendy who was looking down at Happy and Carla. As he finally got close enough to speak without having to yell the two cats twitched and stirred. Just as they fully regained consciousness Natsu's nose twitched as two new smells came to his attention. Gajeel had just gotten close enough to be in his range of smell, as had another person.

"Natsu, do you know what's going on?!"

When partially cried as she launched herself at him while Happy and Carla shook themselves out of the sleepy stupor they'd been in. Shaking his head no, the pink haired man just hugged her as she slowly started to calm down. Moments later Gajeel and a masked figure were running full speed for them.

"What the hell happened Salamander?!"

"No clue metal-freak."

Natsu retorted as the two figures came to stand beside him.

"I know we've never officially met, but I'm Mystogan."

The cloaked figure spoke. Natsu nodded slightly. He'd never managed to stay awake when Mystogan put the guild to sleep during his times at the guild hall, but the last few times he managed to hold out long enough to see his silhouette.

"I've got no idea what's going on, but I swear to whatever gods are listening I will destroy whoever I have to if it gets Magnolia back to normal."

Natsu growled out, causing Mystogan to take a step back. Wendy and Gajeel both had the same determined look as Natsu though. If he was back in Magnolia, that meant Cana and Michiko were too. Whatever caused everyone and everything to disappear did it to them too, so neither of the other Dragon Slayers would let it slide either.

"Allow me to explain then..."

Mystogan commented, before launching into his story. He was born in another world, as their crowned prince. But his father went mad with power, because magic in their world was fading fast. He ran away from home in the hopes of preventing his fathers goals, after he discovered that the king had been using a machine to create portals to another world and turning chunks of it into lacrima that they could destroy to temporarily restore magic.

"I used the machine, which is called the Anima to come to this world, in the hopes that I could eventually stop him. For years now I've been traveling all over Earthland to shut the portals before he could turn things into lacrima. But they've slowly been getting harder and harder to close. I felt this one open and rushed towards the city but I wasn't fast enough..."

"Why are you acting like we've already lost?! We're Fairy Tail Wizards, so we don't give up. We don't give in! There has to be something we can do!"

Natsu practically screamed in Mystogan's face. Gajeel and Wendy hadn't been part of Fairy Tail as long as the other two but from what they'd seen of the guild they felt that Natsu was right, so they nodded along side their alpha. Happy who had been completely silent until this point cheered 'Aye, Sir!' with a nod at Natsu's short little speech.

Carla however frowned.

"He's not the only one from this other dimension. Happy and I are as well. But from talking with this blue idiot he's forgotten everything. I chose to ignore it, because I felt it was burden especially after meeting Wendy but… My mother the queen of our race sent us to this world. The only people still normally capable of using magic in Edolas without restraint are Dragon Slayers and us, the Exceed. But my mother wanted to prevent Dragon Slayers being brought to Edolas in any form. We were supposed to kill Dragon Slayers to prevent the mad king Faust from being able to use them as power source."

She revealed to the group as she struggled to remain in control of her emotions, tears springing up in the corners of her eyes at the thought of killing her best friend. Happy was confused so he pulled a fish out of his green pack and began gnawing on it, not wanting to pay attention to things that were so confusing. Wendy pulled Carla into a hug, wanting nothing more than to comfort her. Natsu patted the white cat like creature on it's head with a gentle smile, and Gajeel just grumbled that it took guts to ignore an order like that.

Mystogan was silent as he stewed on Natsu's words, not really surprised by Carla's admission. After a moment he nodded.

"Alright then, let's go stop my father. There's still a few remnants of the Anima portal in the air above us."

Gajeel just grinned as he cracked his knuckles. Slamming his hands down into the ground he created a massive amount of iron before his magic forced it to bend and shape itself according to his will. When he was satisfied with his creation, the group rushed along the newly made iron staircase, until they burst into the world know as Edolas. Luckily they weren't terribly high up and managed to land on the ground somewhat safely.

"Now I've got a couple ideas on how to do this, but there's a few things you guys need to know first."

Mystogan commented as the Dragon Slayers adjusted to their surroundings.

"First, our worlds are mirrored in a sense. By that I mean the people are counter parts. So don't be surprised if you find yourself running into someone that looks like you or has the same first name you do. Also Natsu this part is more for you since you've meet my Earthland counterpart already. But my real name is Jellal."

He flinched after saying his real name but Natsu just shrugged.

"You're not him. Besides I could tell he wasn't really a bad guy. Just misguided. So why would I hate you for being this worlds version of him?"

Natsu replied with a surprising bit of maturity, at least in Mystogan's eyes.

"Though I think I'll still call you Mystogan. I'm just used to calling you that after all."

"That's fine. Now the next thing… We can't just instantly use magic. Even though you guys have magic at your finger tips right now you can't use it without taking one of these pills first. Compared to the people here in Edolas you guys have the advantage in magic, because of how our worlds are different."

Mystogan answered after a moment, while pulling a jar full of pills out from a pocket in his cloak. He handed one to each of the slayers and took one himself.

"So what's the plan?"

Gajeel grumbled.

"Well… Since Magnolia had Fairy Tail based there, it mostly likely became a massive Lacrima because of all the magic that was present. The king is likely going to hold a ceremony to celebrate a success like that so we've got a bit of time. First we'll need help. We'll go get Edolas's version of Fairy Tail to back us. After all we'll need someone to fight the army while I work my way to the throne room to challenge my father to a duel for the right to rule."

"The white cat said something about us being unrestrained compared to the people here so why can't we just charge in?"

Gajeel questioned.

"Well Faust and I will have to appoint champions so one of you has to come with me to the throne room. But even if that wasn't true, the three of you can't possibly equal an army!"

Snorting at Mystogan's rather strong response Gajeel gave a simple reply.

"Normally you'd probably be right. But considering our moods right now? You would need an army of people at least on the same level as Titania to deal with just me. The girlie might not be on my level yet, but the two of us could handle an army no problem right now."

He even used his thumb to point to Wendy while speaking who nodded along.

"Yeah. I know I might not be as strong as you guys, but even so I'm still a Dragon Slayer and my wrath is not something you should want to face."

"We don't have the time to sit and argue. I refuse to let you two get yourselves killed just because our situation isn't the best!"

"Mystogan. Shut up. You haven't been around the guild lately so you don't know. Something happened on a mission that I helped Cana with. We ended up adopting a little girl. She's only a few months old at this point. But she was in Cana's arms right next to me in the town. So I will do whatever I have to to rescue them. Even if it means burning this world to ash."

Natsu tried to explain as he was growling in a guttural tone.

"Dragon Slayers are powerful yes, but you guys can't possibly win if you're outnumbered a thousand to one!"

"You don't seem to understand. We aren't going to be beaten. This isn't some simple fight, no when we start attacking it's going to be a slaughter. You don't mess with children in front of a Dragon, and you especially don't mess with a Dragon's child and expect to get away unscathed. From the moment something happened to Salamander's brat, the three of us have been ready to kill anyone that would stop us from making sure she's safe. We don't hold back at all when something happens to a young one in front of us like this. Hell I'd bet the moment we start using our magic the three of us'll go into **Dragon Force**. If that happens, screw having an army of people on Titania's level you'd need an army of Dragon Slayers to take us on."

At this point Mystogan could see he wasn't going to convince them of his plan. Especially as the more time passed the more out right dragon like the trio of slayers looked. Their eyes had already become draconian slits. Their canine teeth had become prominent fangs, and nails had extended and sharpened slightly. Even though they were keeping a tight grip on their power, Mystogan could tell it was far, far beyond what they normally were capable off, and should be capable of. But he was extremely scared of Natsu, when he noticed it. Natsu's power was so immense, that he would make Makarov look like a child power wise at that moment.

"Fine. But we have to move fast. Once the rampage starts we won't have much time before they try to break the lacrima that is Magnolia in order to have magic to fight you guys.

"Gajeel, Wendy, go with Mystogan. Either find a way to reverse it so the others can join in the fight, or protect it until I've laid waste to the army."

Natsu ordered as he began searching for a wide open place to start causing a mess in. The other two Dragon Slayers nodded and looked to Mystogan to lead them. He was surprised at how easily they obeyed Natsu, but he chalked it up to the fact that Natsu had a ridiculously strong Charisma. He also didn't argue. If the Dragon Slayers were truly this strong when they weren't holding back, then Natsu would be just fine on his own for a bit.

"We'd better get a move on if we want to get to the lacrima before Faust and his army can touch them."

He muttered before racing off with the two Dragon Slayers in tow. '_If I can send the lacrima back to Earthland, have Gajeel guard the Anima so they can't use it again, and then Wendy and I meet up with Natsu, we'll win. Because Wendy could take over enough of the fighting for Natsu to save some of his stamina to be my champion when I challenge father.'_ He thought, a smile on his face at the hope that was now coming to life inside him.

**A Couple Hours Later**

"Damn Salamander sure is having fun."

Gajeel commented from his position guarding the door to the massive room they were in as another quake shook them, signaling the start of Natsu's attack. Mystogan was at a control panel of sorts trying to reverse the process that turned Magnolia into a massive lacrima. Wendy was sitting on the ground next to Gajeel having gotten tired and decided to take a nap since things weren't all that eventful. Happy and Carla were silent as they watched unable to help in any way.

"Dammit! I can't reverse the process without opening another portal. But I can't do that without the activation key."

Mystogan slammed his fists into the mechanism in frustration.

"So long as we prevent them from getting to this lacrima we win. They won't beat Salamander."

Gajeel gruffly told him. The black haired man had grown bored since they had yet to actually fight. Just a few surprise attacks to clear the path and deal with the man who was in the room already. But he was still tense and ready to fight because his instincts were still screaming at him. But he figured they would be until everything was over and Salamander had his brat back in his arms safely.

"Natsu is powerful yes, but he'll eventually get worn down. He'll need help… I just wish I knew how to get it."

Mystogan replied. Because they needed a quick way to the city they'd stopped by the Edolas version of Fairy Tail to ask for help… But they were kicked out and told there was no way in hell that Edolas Fairy Tail would risk themselves unless it was absolutely certain they would win. Groaning in frustration he banged his head on the panel in front of him when a memory came to him.

Eyes wide he turned to Gajeel since Wendy was asleep.

"I just remembered something. **Dragon Slayer** magic does weird things here in Edolas. Including transforming lacrima. Try attacking the lacrima with your magic."

Gajeel was unsure but since he had nothing better to do he did as asked and after turning his arm into a sword he sliced off a small piece of the lacrima. Before it hit the floor it began to glow brightly. When the glow faded Cana, Erza, Gray, and the master were standing in front of them, with Michiko snuggled in the brunette's arms.

"Thank the gods that worked!"

Mystogan shouted, drawing Wendy from her sleep. The four that had just been freed from the lacrima looked around in confusion.

"I know you've got questions. Long story short we're in another world because they used a special kind of magic to turn Magnolia into a giant lacrima that they could destroy to bring magic back, even though it'd only be temporary. Since the Dragon Slayers were the only ones not affected by the magic, I've got Gajeel and Wendy here with me to protect the lacrima while Natsu rampages against this kingdoms army."

"Why are you letting Natsu fight alone!?"

Erza shouted when Mystogan gave her his explanation.

"Because I know my way around and these two are supposed to help protect this lacrima so they don't destroy it in order to have enough magic to fight Natsu. It wasn't until a moment ago where I remembered Dragon Slaying magic does some special things here in Edolas that we were able to free you guys. Now that you're here, we can send some help Natsu's way. He's only just started to fight, but I can't risk him getting worn out or beaten."

As he spoke Mystogan pulled out the jar of pills once more. He told them what the pills were for before handing them to Gray and Erza who after taking them rushed out to help Natsu.

"Gajeel continue cutting up the lacrima and reverting everyone back to normal."

Makarov commented trying to take control of the situation.

"No not yet! The more people are freed the harder it'll be to send everyone back to Earthland when we're able to. The more individual things that have to go through the portal to Earthland the more magic it takes and this world's magic is limited. The only reason you guys can use magic after taking these pills is because in Earthland magic is generated inside a persons body as well as their surroundings. Here it just comes from the surroundings."

Quickly explaining why that would be an issue Mystogan stopped Gajeel from doing more to the lacrima.

"I see. But it looks like you still have more to tell."

The guild master commented as he looked at Mystogan. Before they could say anything another tremor shook the room. It was enough to startle Michiko who was napping in Cana's arms.

"What was that?"

She questioned, concerned about things. Especially after she heard that Natsu was fighting on his own at the moment. Though she was confident Erza and Gray would be more than enough to back him up if Natsu was the cause of that quake.

"Probably the Salamander. He's probably pretty busy dealing with the army at this point. Honestly I pity anyone that tries to fight him right now. Especially since he point blank told Mystogan that he would do anything to prevent the king here from using this lacrima to bring magic back, even if it meant burning everything and everyone to ash. I can't say I blame him since they'd be sacrificing you and the little one."

Gajeel responded. Cana wasn't surprised that Natsu was willing to go that far for Michiko, but to hear it extended to her was quite the shock. Then her face lit up as she recalled the fact Natsu mentioned that he wouldn't mind dating her.

"I can understand his reasoning for Michiko, buy why is Cana just as important?"

Makarov commented, unaware that Cana was blushing up a storm next to him. Mystogan was rather curious as well. After all Natsu had specified the word 'them' earlier when he gave his threat about burning Edolas.

"Salamander hasn't said anything about it so I don't even know if he's realized it but, that fire brained idiot left a scent marker on her."

"What is a scent marker and why is that important?"

Cana asked as she tried to fight back the blush that had come to her face.

"Well from what I can tell it's a pretty old marker he's put on ya. But anyway a scent marker is something Dragons and Dragon Slayers use to warn away others from a particular person. By particular person I mean whoever it is we choose as our mate."

"Mate?"

"A Dragon's mate. Or in human terms, lover. But again I can tell that scent marker is pretty old, which is why I don't think Salamander realized he did it."

The room was silent at that. For Makarov it was just another piece of evidence to support his belief that Natsu and Cana were slowly going to fall in love. Cana just let the implications of that statement run wild in her mind as she recalled her fantasy from the previous night where she and Natsu had more children besides Michiko. Mystogan was silent out of respect since it wasn't really any of his business. Wendy was blushing heavily since the topic was something she couldn't help but be embarrassed by.

"Is…. Is there more to a scent marker than just warning others away?"

Cana finally managed to ask.

"In this case yes and no. Generally there isn't any other meaning, because the marker means that they _**want**_ the person to be their mate, not that the person they've chosen _**is**_ their mate. The marker is only meant to be temporary. But as I said I can tell this scent marker has been on you for a while. Until the scent marker is gone it's going to cause him to be more and more attracted to you. Unless you turn him down and he removes it, or you become mates and he replaces it, Salamander is going to fall completely head over heels for you."

S.R: Yeah I know I'm somewhat rushing the Edolas arc. Honestly I don't really like this arc, and I struggled to even do this much for it. Knowing me, the Edolas arc will be over quickly.


	9. Chapter 9

S.R: So I... I've got nothing. Just read on. OH, wait that's right. Gray is going to be useless and most of the Erza fight will be off screened. Just a heads up.

* * *

**Last Time**

"Mate?"

"A Dragon's mate. Or in human terms, lover. But again I can tell that scent marker is pretty old, which is why I don't think Salamander realized he did it."

The room was silent at that. For Makarov it was just another piece of evidence to support his belief that Natsu and Cana were slowly going to fall in love. Cana just let the implications of that statement run wild in her mind as she recalled her fantasy from the previous night where she and Natsu had more children besides Michiko. Mystogan was silent out of respect since it wasn't really any of his business. Wendy was blushing heavily since the topic was something she couldn't help but be embarrassed by.

"Is…. Is there more to a scent marker than just warning others away?"

Cana finally managed to ask.

"In this case yes and no. Generally there isn't any other meaning, because the marker means that they want the person to be their mate, not that the person they've chosen is their mate. The marker is only meant to be temporary. But as I said I can tell this scent marker has been on you for a while. Until the scent marker is gone it's going to cause him to be more and more attracted to you. Unless you turn him down and he removes it, or you become mates and he replaces it, Salamander is going to fall completely head over heels for you."

**This Time**

Before anyone could say anything to Gajeel's explanation, Gray came running back into the room. He had wide fearful eyes as he was panting.

"You guys have to see this!"

Since he had a feeling that he knew exactly what the **Ice Make** mage was talking about Gajeel rolled his eyes at the other dark haired mans fear. They had warned the guild what would happen if you messed with a Dragons child. But he followed the group as they left the room anyway, having realized the fact Natsu was likely rampaging so heavily that the army of Edolas wouldn't be able to think about getting near the Lacrima to use as a power source to combat the pink haired man. Of course the fact that the ground hadn't stopped shaking, almost as if Natsu's power alone was causing a long and drawn out earthquake after he started rampaging was why he was able to come to that conclusion.

When the exited the building and found themselves overlooking the plains just outside of the city that the castle was build in. They could see hundreds if not thousands of soldiers. Erza could be seen flying closer to the battle but they hardly noticed her. Instead their focus was on Natsu, or at least where they assumed Natsu stood. Edolas's army was staring down an absolutely massive pillar of flames. Craters already littered the ground around between them, and even from a distance they could smell blood. The ground surrounding said craters was dead and crumbling, as if the land was a barren wasteland. After a moment the pillar of fire shook before a large funnel of fire burst forth torching a good chunk of the army that had been advancing while they just watched.

"This level of power is absurd!"

Mystogan said, completely shocked now that he could see what Natsu looked like when he wasn't holding back. Gray was panicking as he could already tell Natsu's flames were too hot for him to be of much help in dealing the army. His ice would melt before it could even begin to form itself into what he wanted it to, let alone before he could fight. Sure he could brawl and not use any of his magic, but once again the heat Natsu was putting off was just too much.

But Gajeel just laughed.

"We told you what to expect when you mess with a dragons child."

"But you guys are Dragon Slayers, not dragons! Besides there shouldn't be anything in the world with that much power!"

Gray responded as he just didn't understand how Natsu could have that much power when they were supposed to be equals.

"Natsu's in **Dragon Force** right now. He's more dragon than human so it doesn't matter what you want to call him at the moment. I'm just surprised he's still managing to hold back and not burn everything to ash."

Wendy said. Yet before they could respond to the blue haired girls words the ground shook even harder as an ear splitting roar was heard. Even at a distance they could see most of the men that were supposed to be fighting Natsu were trembling at the sound. Carla just watched on in awe of what the strongest Dragon Slayer was capable of, while Happy just cheered for his friend.

**Meanwhile**

'_Dammit even with my most heat resistant armor it's still melting! This is ridiculous!'_ The red headed knight that was Erza's counter part from Edolas thought to herself as she struggled to get close enough to fight the pink haired man that was laying waste to the army. Normally the other captains would be with her, but Sugarboy was busy preventing the fire from destroying the city, while Bryo and Hughes was acting as the kings personal guard as they prepared for the worst case scenario.

When the massive pillar of fire shrank slightly while the person inside let out an enraged roar, she took her chance to get even closer, using her full speed to dash in and attack. Despite the heat, her weapon was still dangerous enough for her to believe that one good hit would be all she needed to tip the scales in her favor. So she forcefully attacked and ignored the feeling of her armor searing her body. '_At least my **Ten Commandments** is safe. I'd rather not risk destroying it in this heat, so this second rate spear is all I've got._'

But her blisteringly hot weapon was caught bare handed and turned into a puddle of molten metal almost instantly. The man didn't flinch when he saw her but he did soften up a bit.

"Get the hell out of my way."

"how about you surrender instead!"

She retorted. But Natsu just snorted, before his eyes flicked upwards. A small smile came to his face when he noticed the approaching figure. '_If Erza's here then that means Cana and Michiko are alright.' _ He told himself, before letting the heat of his flames die down a bit. Which confused the Edolas version of Erza. But that confusion didn't last long before a person who could pass as her own twin landed on the ground beside the man.

"Natsu! Calm down."

She barked at the man. Considering her tone, it seemed likely that the man would listen to the new figure, but he shook his head.

"Erza, you do not get to boss me around right now. The only reason I relaxed enough for you to even get this close is because I realized if you're safe then so are Cana and Michiko… That doesn't mean I'm not still pissed off, nor does it mean I won't tear through anyone that gets in my way."

Both red headed figures took a step way at the tone. While it wasn't one that promised death if they stood against him, it was still one that made them take pause.

"What the hell is going on?"

The Edolas version of Erza asked herself, a bit confused as to why this other woman was also named Erza and who the 'Cana and Michiko' the man spoke of were.

"Put simply We're people from Earthland and we're going to prevent you from using that giant lacrima."

Erza responded as she squared off with her fellow read head.

"We're doing more than that Erza. I'm going to teach these insignificant ants what happens when you mess with a Dragons nest."

Natsu commented before another feral sounding roar tore itself out of his throat. By that point Edolas's army had moved close enough for them to see who they were supposed to be fighting clearly. But When Natsu turned his glare on them they all froze.

"Turning my adoptive daughter into a lacrima? I won't forgive anyone who stands in front of me before I get to the bastard who came up with the idea!"

Natsu shouted before lunging towards the army. With a swipe of his left hand three large claw like bursts of fire shot out and began ripping through the men in front of him. Edolas's Erza went to attack him from behind but was stopped by Erza.

"I made the mistake of not believing in him once. But now? I will gladly protect his back to make up for it."

She told her counterpart as they locked weapons.

"So you're the Earthland Version of me? This might be an interesting fight. And confusing given our name. Just call me Knightwalker."

The Edolas Erza commented as they pushed each other back.

"Then just call me Scarlet."

**With The Other Group**

Gajeel and Wendy had been paying close attention to what they could hear from Natsu as they lead their small group towards the battle field. After seeing Natsu's massive roar take out a little more than a quarter of all the soldiers than had been sent to face him, they knew it wouldn't take long especially after Erza joined in.

But the entire group had gotten to the edge of the city in time to hear Natsu tell Erza off when she attempted to order him to calm down. Cana just blushed when she heard her name mentioned, as she still didn't fully believe Gajeel when he mentioned that she was just as important as the little girl in her arms to the pink haired man.

Makarov frowned, he knew Natsu always had an issue with authority but he would normally begrudgingly listen. Mystogan was shocked that Natsu would stand up to Erza since as far as he could tell she would normally have him cowering in fear of her anger. But both men were surprised to see Erza didn't say anything else to him. At least in Makarov's case he could tell that she was wary of upsetting him even more than she had when Natsu and Cana had announced the fact they adopted Michiko.

Michiko was squirming around in Cana's arms, now that she had been woken up by the chaos that resulted from Natsu's power being unleashed. But it wasn't because she was uncomfortable or scared, at least as far as Cana could tell as she looked down at her baby girl. To the older brunette it looked as if Michiko wanted to be held by Natsu since she could feel his magic.

'_It's like her body is saying 'I can feel daddy is nearby, so I want him.' Which if I don't take the situation into consideration is actually pretty adorable. Especially since it's proof she's a daddy's girl.'_

Cana thought to herself with a small smile. Even though she wanted to watch Natsu fight, she couldn't take her eyes off the little girl in her arms. But she could still hear since Natsu was shouting the names of his attacks.

"**Fire Dragon's ****Crushing Maw**!"

Then a moment later "**Fire Dragon's Secret Art Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade**!"

Even though she was looking down, Cana was still able to catch a bright flash of light from his flames. It was fairly strong too, so to protect Michiko's eyes she turned her body to better shield the little one.

"**Fire Dragon's Roar**!"

She couldn't help but smile after hearing his signature attack being called out. But when Wendy tugged on her side and pointed at Natsu who was up in the air she took the chance to see that Natsu was finishing up his fight. Only a handful of men were still standing, unless she wanted to count the people that had given up on subduing him and instead had chosen to flee.

"Time to end this. **With the flames on my left hand, and the flames on my right hand… Bring them together, Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame**!"

Cana had heard about this attack before and shielded Michiko's eyes by holding the little girl close to her chest… It was the right call as the moment the ball of flames touched down it expanded and exploded in a bright burst that made everyone flinch and wish they had closed their eyes instead.

While she was shaking her head to recover from the temporary blindness she had just gotten from watching his finishing move, Natsu moved close to the group. Makarov and Cana both gasped at just how dangerous he looked.

Natsu's canine teeth were clearly visible even with his mouth shut, his nails looked like they'd been extended, and his eyes were still reptilian slits. But what shocked them the most was the patchwork of red scales that covered parts of his body.

"It's good to see you can still hold back even while in **Dragon Force**, but I think that might be because it's an incomplete form Salamander."

Gajeel said, which reminded Cana of the fact that he and Wendy were present as well. Gray was a quivering mess as he realized that Natsu fighting without restraint was something he couldn't even dream to match. Wendy was already giving him a quick once over just to make sure he hadn't gotten hurt somehow.

Mystogan was almost certain that Natsu could have singlehandedly defeated Edolas's entire army, and the secret weapon his father had been developing when he ran away. Makarov was silent as he watched, proud to see his guild, even if it was only a small handful, weren't too scared to interact with Natsu after seeing him at his most extreme.

"Well you're still in perfect shape Natsu. You could probably keep going, but it would be a good idea to take a rest now that you can."

Wendy commented as she finished her exam. At that point Cana stepped forward so Natsu could see her and Michiko. She was ready to hand the little girl over so Natsu could be certain their daughter was okay, but instead he pulled her into a hug, even while smiled at Michiko.

Wendy blushed, Mystogan smiled, Makarov let a few tears fall as he mumbled about 'brats growing up so fast', and Gajeel just snickered while thinking _'I told you so.'_

When he finally pulled away from the hug he accepted Michiko with a wide grin. Holding her up slightly the two smiled at each other as he began to coo at her.

"How's my little dragon holding doing?"

**With The Two Erza's**

Even though they'd been fighting each other both of them had still been able to witness Natsu utterly decimate the army with just a few attacks.

Swiping her sword horizontally to deflect the tip of Knightwalker's spear Erza stepped forward and grabbed at the shaft to push it out of her counter parts hands so she could safely take her legs out from under her. They fell to the ground together since Knightwalker wrapped her legs around the one that Erza had lashed out with.

"How? How are you so strong?"

Knightwalker practically screamed in frustration.

"Because we fight for our friends, no our family. When we fight to protect those we care about, Fairy Tail will never lose."

"How could you call that pink haired monster your family, let alone a friend?!"

Erza frowned at that, it was a subtle reminder of how she had hurt him back when she didn't have faith that Natsu and Cana could raise Michiko.

"Natsu's no monster, and he's not normally capable of using that level of power. He only fought as hard as he did because his adoptive daughter was part of that lacrima. As a Dragon Slayer just the idea of harming his child is enough to send him into a frenzy. Besides he's a good man and would never abuse his power."

With that said Erza finished the fight by using the pommel of her sword to hit Knightwalker's forehead with enough force to knock her out. Standing up Erza dusted herself off, and turned to face Natsu and the others. As she walked up to them Makarov spoke.

"Those were some wise words you told her."

"Even though my words are true, it doesn't erase the fact I made a mistake. After seeing the lengths Natsu just went to… And how he's handling things right now. I owe both him and Cana an apology."

The red headed knight spoke before bowing low towards the two in particular. Natsu smiled softly and Cana brushed it of while pointing out the smile on Michiko's face.

"We know you didn't mean anything bad by it. Besides it helps that you are trying to make up for it. See? Even Michiko is smiling at you."

Erza just smiled back at the little girl, while the group took a moment to relax and collect themselves. Makarov turned to face Mystogan again.

"Now then, I believe you know more about our situation?"

Mystogan just nodded, before explaining everything he had to the Dragon Slayers when the whole mess started. Now that they knew the whole story the others were just as angry as the slayers were. Gray's whole body was shaking in anger as he spoke. "So these bas-" but he cut himself off when he saw the glare that Natsu and Cana were sending his way.

"Anyway, I think we should hurry up and put the rest of your plan in action before they can make another move."

Erza commented as she chose to ignore Gray in favor of moving on and wrapping things up. Since Mystogan had explained his plan to them they all agreed, with Erza and made their way to the castle. There wasn't even a sliver of resistance against them as their group trudged towards the throne room. Not even when they through the doors open so Mystogan could make his announcement.

Mystogan did check to make sure at least someone with authority would hear him before he began to speak though.

"I, the runaway Prince Jellal have returned. But The reason for my return is the fact that my father, our king is no longer fit to be our ruler. As such I am making use of my authority as prince to demand the right to challenge for the crown."

He had expected silence to greet his words, or maybe even shock. But instead his father sat calmly on his thrown and clapped politely.

"Even though you are insulting me, that was very well spoken my son. I'll agree to your challenge under the basis of selecting a champion to fight in our stead."

Since he had figured his father would want to avoid fighting and ask to select champions he didn't have an issue with it. He'd known from the beginning who his champion would be however.

"Is that your only requirement to agree to the duel?"

"Yes. I already have a champion in mind after all."

"Well then you'll allow me to place a requirement as well. The recently made lacrima, the giant one created with the people of Earthland, is not to be touched at all."

The two men guarding the king shook their heads at the idea that their ruler would agree to such a term.

"Typically, the challenger has no right to set any rules or requirements for a duel over the crown."

The king mocked, which while infuriating Mystogan had expected.

"Allow me to rephrase. That lacrima is to be left completely alone or the man I would appoint as my champion will go on another rampage and I will not stop him."

* * *

S.R: Okay, so I debated with myself about ending it here. In the end, I decided to stop for a break. I really don't like this arc and just want it to be over already, but I also don't want to write it. Yeah I know it's a catch 22. Which is why I decided on a happy medium. I get to stop for a bit, before finishing it all with the next chapter. Anyway I'll see you guys next time.


	10. Chapter 10

S.R: Okay so it's time to wrap up the Edolas Arc. Thank whatever deity is listening to me rant for that. I mean seriously. I used to like this arc because it gave Wendy a chance to shine. But then after re-reading the manga I realized it wasn't as great as I thought it was, and Wendy's part in the arc wasn't as big as I had remembered. Then I started nitpicking my memories about it and realized it actually sucked. And now every time I get to it in a fanfic (either my own take or in reading someone elses), I find it could have been done so much better that I just feel bitter about the canon version and I hate it. But that's enough of my rambling. You're here for the story, not me.

* * *

A few hours had passed since Mystogan, or rather Prince Jellal, challenged his father for the crown. Upon finding out that it was Natsu that had rampaged against his armies pretty much singlehandedly, King Faust had paled at the idea of his son allowing the man to rampage then and their if he didn't agree to leave the lacrima alone. But then he recalled the top secret weapon that they'd been working on for years had been finished and was unbeatable.

'_I'll agree to his terms for now, and use __**Dorma Anim**__ to crush that foolish boy's champion. Then because they won't be able to stand against me I'll wipe his group of 'friends' out and destroy the lacrima myself in celebration.'_ Was what he had thought to himself before hurriedly agreeing to the terms of their duel with a faked panic.

Which was why he had a calm smile on his face as his son, Jellal, approached him in the center of the ruined Colosseum that they had at the edge of the city. They both just glared at each other in silence for a moment. Natsu was standing just behind the prince, with a blank look on his face, trying to keep himself from smirking evilly at the fact there wasn't anything he couldn't win against in Edolas.

"As King, I have accepted your challenge for the throne. My chosen champion is myself."

He stated, though the man had a bit of confusion evident on his face when his son didn't react.

"My chosen champion is my friend Natsu Dragneel of Earthland and heir of Igneel the Fire Dragon King."

Mystogan spoke with a smile as he gestured towards Natsu. After they'd left the throne room Mystogan had explained his plan to the group, with all of them agreeing that Natsu was the best choice. When the words 'Dragon King' came out of his mouth he was glad to see his father was shaking slightly. But his part was now over, so he walked back to the viewing platform where the rest of Fairy Tail stood to watch the battle. Natsu remained standing at the center of the coliseum standing face to face with King Faust though.

"Well then, boy. No, Natsu. What is your weapon of choice?"

Faust questioned, as he struggled to remain calm while thinking to himself '_If he's the son of a dragon then that makes this brat a Dragon Slayer. We've never been able to test Dorma Anim against a Slayer. Theoretically it's unbeatable, but since the entire design was based off of a dragon, there's a chance he could still win.'_

"My weapon is my magic."

Natsu responded as he lit his hands on fire. Gulping the king announced his chosen weapon was called Dorma Anim. The moment he finish speaking the ground began to rumble as a large mechanical device could be seen making its way towards them. They couldn't really make out any details beyond the fact that it was silver, and seemed to resemble an egg.

But once it was delivered to the coliseum, the egg unfolded itself and began to change shape to a bipedal body while claw like protrusions where the hands and feet would be. It had glowing red eyes, and a long tail, where the metal was patterned to look like scales.

Faust climbed inside of the mechanical creature and began to power it up. Everyone watched on as instead of having a power source built in, it drew in magic from the world around them. When the stream of magic flowing to the machine called Dorma Anim cut off it let out a robotic sounding roar.

"This hunk of junk is your secret weapon? Pah, I'll easily crush it."

Natsu commented before dashing forward. King Faust's voice echoed out in response.

"This is the ultimate weapon, a mechanical dragon with power equal to the gods! Allow me to show you just a taste of what it is capable of. **Dragon Rider's Roar**!"

With that a large magic circle appeared in the air right in front of what was everyone assumed was Dorma Anim's face. The second it finished forming a massive ray of magic shot forward similar to a roar from one of the Slayers. Even though he didn't fully believe himself with that line since they hadn't been able to test it against opponents like this, Faust had to keep up his bravado, so he cackled evilly while Dorma Anim attacked.

"**Fire Dragon's Roar**!"

Natsu countered, the power behind it making the king, and his advisors who were watching the battle go wide eyed. Especially when the two attacks met, but within mere seconds Natsu's roar began pushing Dorma Anim'sroar back. Even after Natsu cut his attack off and started moving forward again, it pushed back even as it started fading away since it was no longer being powered.

When he got Close enough Natsu thrust his right arm forward.

"**Fire Dragon's Pulverizing Iron Fist**!"

The force behind his attack was enough to not just dent the armor of Dorma Anim which would normally repel magic, but punch through it, something that completely shocked the natives of Edolas that witnessed the feat.

"The raw power of his attack was able to punch through the special alloy?!"

Bryo, the man who had been in charge of the project when **Dorma Anim** was being created, shouted in fear. But Natsu wasn't done attacking just yet. Rotating his body, the pink haired man swung his foot into the side of Dorma Anim's leg with a cry of '**Fire Dragon's Claw**.'

He would have used the stronger version of the spell which was meant for piercing damage, but the leg was already weakened by the hole made by his previous attack, so he was confident the weaker level would still be enough to finish breaking the leg. Which it was. The remaining pieces of metal that hadn't been touched by his punching attack, were crushed by his leg, the weakened strength of the rest of the metal in the area wasn't enough to support them. Thus his attack caused the leg to break apart, causing Dorma Animto fall to one side, off balanced.

Panicking Faust used the Dorma Anim to cast it's **Dragon Rider Missiles** spell. The large quantity of missiles would have been enough to make anyone else freak out. But Natsu just grinned. Instead he began climbing the mechanical body that was Dorma Anim. His pace was just fast enough for him to get out of the way when a missile would slam into the spot he was located at previously. Inside the machine Faust was screaming in frustration, especially as the brat was using his attack against him. Though he was lucky that the missiles weren't as bad as the **Fire Dragon Slaying** magic that had destroyed the one leg with two spells. Another factor for his frustration however was that, because the boy had already destroyed one of it's legs, he couldn't make Dorma Anim transform into it's **Black Sky** form, which was slightly sturdier and far faster.

Natsu however was just having a field day. Even though he didn't need it, the moment a missile would go off after coming into contact with the metallic body of Dorma Anim he would swallow the explosion, the heat and flames giving him a little pick me up. He could have easily dealt with the machine without any power boosts or pick me ups, but since he was still angry about the lacrima situation, Natsu wanted to prove that it didn't matter in the slightest what the king could do, he would still win in the end.

When the last one went off, Natsu smirked. He had almost climbed up to the things face. Coming to stand on it's shoulder, Natsu jumped up into the air screaming.

"I'm all fired up now!"

Reaching the peak of his jump Natsu called his magic to his hands.

"**With the flames on my left hand, and the flames on my right hand… Bring them together, Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame**!"

This time, the ball of flames created by this attack completely dwarfed all the previous times he'd used it. Gray and Erza both watched with their jaws on the ground as the attack slammed into **Dorma Anim** with enough force to cause it to fall to the ground. Cana and Makarov were smiling, proud that Natsu had the power to protect and defend those he cared about. Gajeel was twitching as he watched, confused as to why it seemed like Natsu had grown even stronger without really doing anything. Wendy was also confused, but since she didn't know him well enough she just figured she hadn't ever gotten to see him go all out.

When the bright explosion caused by his attack ended, they were treated to a sight that would have made most people instantly faint. Dorma Anim had been scorched and melted so badly, that less than half of the metal remained in a solid form. King Faust was lightly singed, having got of lucky since the cockpit where he had been controlling the machine from was the most protected part of it's body.

"I yield!"

The man screamed in terror.

**Hours Later**

"Finally all that's over with. Now I have the authority to have them activate the Anima, and send you guys back to Earthland."

Mystogan spoke to the group with a tired tone. He had hopped to have done so sooner, but the moment his father surrendered, he was surrounded by the nobility and royal retainers and swept away to deal with politics.

"It wasn't that long of a wait. Besides you're a part of Fairy Tail and we always keep our promises."

Natsu commented with a smile.

"That's right. Thanks for helping me out guys, especially you Natsu."

Even though Natsu is the only one that really did anything he felt the need to thank them all, but just like Natsu they all denied it, saying that's what family is for.

"Yes. I'll always remember my time with you all fondly. But I'm king now, and so I can't go back with you all."

"That's quite alright my boy."

Makarov replied, they all knew it was coming so none of them were surprised.

"I hope you all don't mind if I use Natsu as my excuse to the people about why we're about to lose magic in this world."

They all laughed at that, but when he didn't join them they were quiet. Especially when after a moment they were all surrounded by a pale yellow light that sparkled.

"It was fun you guys. But my journey with Fairy Tail is done."

"Yeah, it was pretty fun. Next time, don't get my daughter involved though" Natsu replied, before continuing on as his words drew a smile from Makarov, Erza, Gray, and Mystogan. "There are always three conditions for when someone leaves Fairy Tail. Firstly, you must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others as long as you live. Secondly, wait what was the second one again?"

"Second, you, or in this case since I'm the one speaking, I, must never use former contacts met through the guild for my own personal gain."

Mystogan replied. Makarov was silent, proud of the camaraderie between them, even though as guild master he should have been the one to give Mystogan the farewell speech. Gray smiled, glad to see things with Natsu were getting back to normal. Erza also smiled, but hers was more subdued, since even though they didn't really know him Mystogan was still a friend to them and the rest of the guild.

"Thirdly, though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends for as long as you live."

Natsu finished, drawing a smile and a nod from Mystogan.

"Well done my boy."

Makarov told Natsu, pleased that he remembered the speech well enough to get two out of the three conditions right, and word for word no less.

"I don't know how, but I hope we'll see each other again someday Mystogan."

Natsu smiled as he gave the new king of Edolas a wave.

"Yeah… Maybe by then you'll be able to properly give me the Fairies Farewell" Mystogan commented with a small smile as he waved back.

A moment later they all saw nothing but a white light. When they could see again, Natsu, Cana, Makarov, Erza, Gray, Wendy, and the two Exceeds were standing outside of Magnolia, and the city was back to normal. But they had a couple extra bodies around them. A black exceed was with them for some reason, and so was a person that looked strangely familiar. If Natsu had been looking at her he would have recognized them, but his attention was on Michiko who was in Cana's arms. His little girl was squirming uncomfortably for some reason.

This other person was shocked to suddenly be home after having gotten used to the other world, but tears of joy were falling down her face, which confused everyone that actually noticed her. Even though Natsu wasn't paying attention to her at all, the white haired girl was already preparing to launch herself at him for a hug. But she stopped the moment she saw him take a little girl out of Cana's arms. Confusion ran through her at the sight, since he acted just like a father would, and in her mind Natsu wasn't smart enough to become a father without her help.

Thanks to the shock of coming back to Earthland, and how things had changed, she collapsed. Which the sound of the others reacting to finally drew Natsu's attention to her.

"No way!"

Natsu shouted completely confused as to how Lisanna could be there with them despite dying years ago.

"What's wrong Natsu?"

"L-lisanna?!"

That made everyone go wide eyed as they finally realized why the girl seemed so familiar.

"We can figure out what's going on when she wakes up. For now, Gajeel take her to the infirmary at the guild, Wendy go with him and see what you can do. Gray go find Mira and Elfman. Erza if you would grab Porlyusica for us, just in case."

Makarov stated, taking control of the situation. After a moment he turned towards Natsu and Cana.

"I know you two likely want to know what's going on, but given what you've been through, you especially Natsu, I think you should head home and rest. If anything happens I'll send Gray to get you alright?"

Even though he wanted to say he was fine, Natsu couldn't find it in himself to argue with the guild master, especially when Cana was already pulling on his arm to take him back to their home. So he gave in and followed her back to his house in the woods. The further they got from Lisanna the happier Michiko seemed to get. Though he also thought she could have just been fussy due to being tired since the little one was yawning a lot as well.

Cana was being uncharacteristically quiet as well as they walked. But she seemed focused on something, so Natsu wasn't worried about her. Which is why when they got home he set about getting Michiko ready for bed and put to sleep for the night. When he was done he had made his way to the kitchen to get a drink but he was met by Cana who gestured towards the table while saying "we need to talk."

Sitting at the table with her, Natsu was quiet as he waited for her to begin. As far as he could tell the only thing they had to talk about was the return of Lisanna, if that actually was Lisanna that had appeared.

"I've got several things to talk about, but I'll start with this one…. Gajeel said something about you marking me. I pressed him about it and he says you probably didn't know you'd even done that."

"What kind of mark?"

Natsu asked, confused as to why that would be important. Though that was because he was only thinking about the less important markings that a dragon or dragon slayer could give people.

"He called it a scent marking. Gajeel even told me what it's supposed to be for. But again he doesn't think you even knew you did it."

Her words made Natsu go wide eyed. He had forgotten about that kind of marking but he knew what it was for, and it answered his question of why his feelings towards Cana were becoming stronger and stronger at a very rapid pace. But then he wondered about how long the mark had been there, and why it would have only started affecting him after they adopted Michiko.

"I have no clue when I would have given you a marking like that, but if that metal freak is right then it explains why my feelings went from I wouldn't mind dating you to wanting to date you in the time since we agreed to raise Michiko together."

Natsu told her, but then his eyes went wide again as he recalled the only possible moment he could have given her a scent marking.

**Flashback**

Natsu had just stormed out of the guild, frustrated and upset at the fact that none of them even pretended to believe him about Igneel being a dragon. Normally he would have run to the nearby river bank, but considering he had recently found out that Gray liked to go there he decided to avoid it and instead ran to the woods. Eventually he found a rather nice sized clearing that had a few large rocks in the center. Hopping up to sit on top of one he found Cana crying into her knees silently. He was a bit put off by the fact he couldn't tell she was there until he saw her, but he shoved the feeling aside and decided to find out was was wrong.

"Cana?"

She was clearly startled by the sound of his voice, jumping up quickly.

"Hey it's okay. You don't need to hide."

Natsu softly told her when she stood to leave. Sitting down he patted the stone next to him as a signal for her to stay. The little girl was thinking about leaving anyway but when she noticed he didn't seem to be in his normal happy go lucky mood, she realized he wasn't exactly in a good mood either. So she sat down as well.

"Hey, you don't have to say or do anything, but do you mind if I just talk to you for a bit?"

He asked, wondering if just talking to her about how he felt would help him feel better even if she didn't actually listen. She eventually nodded her head, and he began to speak, telling her about his frustrations and just how much it hurt him to hear the guild when they didn't believe him.

When he was done speaking Natsu did actually feel a lot better. But he was surprised when Cana tugged on his hand.

"Can I have a turn getting things off my chest?"

"Sure."

He responded with a kind smile.

And thus, Natsu learned of her connection to Gildarts, and how she never felt worthy of calling him her father. He heard about how she felt so weak and insecure, especially when her father was around. But as she spoke, and he tried to comfort her, he learned of a goal that she had decided to set for herself that she just had to met before she would let herself tell Gildarts about their connection.

**Flashback End**

Considering she had seen his eyes widen again before he went silent for a few minutes, Cana knew he had thought of something. So she asked her pink haired companion what he just realized.

"Remember that day when we were kids? Back when I complained to you about the guild and how they didn't believe me. Then you told me about how Gildarts is your dad? I think that's when I gave you the scent marker."

Cana's eyes widened as well as she recalled that fateful day. Mostly because it was thanks to her talk with Natsu that she had set her goal of becoming an S-class wizard before she told Gildarts he was he dad. If that was when Natsu had placed the marker then Gajeel was right in saying it was an old marking. But if it did what he said, and what Natsu admitted to, then why had it taken so long for him to get to this point with his feelings. Voicing the question Natsu replied he wasn't sure either, but he was positive that was when he gave her the scent marking. After all it required a somewhat intimate event for it to be placed, and a talk like they had that day was just the thing.

"Anyway, that leads me into the next thing I wanted to talk to you about. I hadn't really thought about it since you brought up the idea of getting together when we first adopted Michiko. But after Gajeel told me about the marker, and watching you fight for everyone, but mostly me and Michiko as Gajeel told me, I realized just from all the time we've been spending together that you are someone I wouldn't mind dating either. In fact I'd actually like that quite a bit."

"So If I asked you to be my girlfriend you would say yes?"

"Can I say yes now and we skip the question all together since we seem to be in agreement?"

Cana shot back at him for his question. Natsu smiled, at her words. When she saw his smile, it became mirrored on her own face.

"I still should ask anyway just so no one can say we didn't do things the right way…. Will you be my girlfriend Cana?"

"I'd love to Natsu."

With that, Cana reached across the table and placed her hands on either side of Natsu's face. Cupping his face she pulled him closer as she moved her head towards his. In the middle of the table they met, their lips crashing against each others softly. Natsu was enjoying it so much that all he could think of was wanting to kiss her again. Cana enjoyed it as well, her mind going blank, as she forgot the other thing she wanted to talk to her pink haired partner in crime about.

When they pulled away Cana was speechless. Natsu just smirked at her.

"Can I take the lead this time?"

She nodded, unsure of why the idea of Natsu being in charge sent shivers down her spine. But once again they kissed, this time with a bit more zeal, and Cana was seeing stars. Natsu was too, but given the fact he was acting on instinct it didn't matter as much to him.

**Meanwhile**

Porlyusica and Wendy both had looked over the figure that seemed to be Lisanna and neither of them could find anything wrong with her. After the pink haired healer had heard about what happened she pulled Makarov to the side and explained that the likely scenario was that the girl had collapsed from the shock of coming to Earthland from Edolas.

"Yes, I thought that might be the case but I wanted to be sure. After all I recall when you came to us from Edolas back when we were young. You had collapsed just like her, but you were also suffering from a fever."

"You're getting old if you are remembering things that way."

Porlyusica told Makarov with a smile. She didn't want to be reminded of the past, yet she really couldn't help but smile as she recalled her time as an active member of Fairy Tail.

"Anyway, I'm leaving. Next time you and your brats need me, don't."

She told him, which was the same thing she always told him. But the short, white haired man knew she would always help them because no matter how aloof she acted the woman still had a soft spot for the guild.

While that talk was going on Erza and Gray were filling Mira and Elfman in on what had happened, and why they were suddenly being called to the infirmary by the master.

"So this girl looks like Lisanna. But didn't you guys say that Mystogan told you we had our own counterparts in this 'Edolas'? So isn't it likely she's the Lisanna from that world and not ours?"

"Yes, but we felt it would be good to warn you just in case. Plus if she's confused about what's going on, having you two around when she wakes up would be a good idea. I mean as her siblings, your presence should be able to calm her down long enough to explain."

Erza replied in a whisper as they opened the door to the infirmary. Wendy had left after she and Porlyusica determined there was nothing wrong with the white haired girl so there was no one in the room but the still unconscious form of Lisanna.

When they saw the girl Mira and Elfman both couldn't help but tear up. It was almost too much for them, given the fact they still weren't completely over her death. They sat there just waiting for Lisanna to wake up. Yet to their surprise the girl woke up with a smile on her face and didn't seem confused at all. But the real shock was the first words out of her mouth.

"I'm home."

* * *

S.R: Yes I'm an evil bastard for not giving you a proper meeting between Natsu and Lisanna. But I kinda wanted that to be it own chapter and I figured you guys would prefer it that way so…. Anyway I'll see you guys next time (which is likely going to be tomorrow since I've already started the next chapter).


	11. Chapter 11

S.R: Okay, my estimate was off. But only because I couldn't control my impulses very well. And because no matter what Fanficition says, chapter 10 was added at 1 A.M. on Sunday August 25th.

* * *

Natsu and Cana were busy in the kitchen making out when his front door burst open and Gray walked in.

"Oi Natsu!"

He called, though he tried not to be too loud since he knew they had Michiko who would probably be napping. But when the pink haired man didn't respond Gray began searching for him, and upon finding the scene of the two making out in front of him he couldn't help but smile.

'_Things are starting to look up for him.'_

Gray thought as he looked at his best friend. He knew Natsu wanted to have a large family of his own someday, so seeing Natsu making out with Cana gave him hope that Natsu would get to have that family after all. But they still didn't acknowledge his presence. Which wasn't good since Natsu was kinda needed to help handle the Lisanna situation.

So without really thinking things through he carefully sneaked up on the two and paced his ice cold hands on their sides, making them jump.

"What the heck man?"

Natsu shouted when he noticed Gray. But then he winced because of how loud he was. Which made all three of them freeze up and go completely silent as they listened for Michiko, in case his yell had woken her up. Luckily it didn't. So they all breathed a little easier.

"Sorry about that but I needed to get your attention."

"What's wrong Gray?"

Cana asked after the dark haired man apologized.

"Well long story short. Our Lisanna was knocked into the air by the beasts attack, and as she went up, another version of her was falling down. Apparently she was knocked through an open Anima portal at the same time as her Edolas counterpart falling through one, so they traded places."

"Which means it was the Edolas version of Lisanna that died and not our Lisanna. But she was stuck in Edolas then."

Cana realized.

"Yup. Apparently when Mystogan had it reversed everyone that had the ability to hold magic inside of them was sent to Earthland, which is why she returned with us. Apparently it's also why all the other flying cats like Happy and Carla came to Earthland as well."

"So what's that have to do with Lisanna?"

Natsu asked, having realized something was going on.

"Well she woke up, explained to Mira and Elfman what happened and then tried to look for you… Mira told her about how you and Cana are living together and adopted Michiko, and Lisanna just flipped out before running off. Considering it's about you, gramps thought it might be a good idea for you to go calm her down."

Natsu just nodded at Gray as he stood up to make his way towards the little hut he had built with Lisanna back in the day when Happy was still an egg. But then the sound of Michiko crying out stopped him. Cana was going to send him on his way and deal with their adoptive daughter herself, but Natsu rushed out of the room and up to Michiko's crib before she even opened her mouth.

"Why don't you let me take care of her for a bit so you can go see Lisanna Natsu?"

Cana asked as she found him coming down the stairs with Michiko in his arms.

"Not this time. I'm still a bit on edge so just to make sure she's alright I'd rather keep her close. By that I mean, I want her in my arms where I know she's safe. At least until I've calmed down from everything that's happened."

"I understand that, but are you sure it's a good idea to go meet Lisanna like that?"

"Not really. But I'm doing it anyway."

Natsu answered, he had a very serious tone, but one look down at his daughter, being carried protectively in his arms made him smile sweetly. Cana sighed as she relented.

"Alright then. But I'm coming too. After all we're in this together."

Gray felt like a third wheel at that point and left for the guild hall. Which Natsu and Cana took as a hint to get moving. So Natsu led the way to the little hut he and Lisanna had made to 'raise' Happy in when they found his egg all those years ago.

When they got there the two could hear Lisanna sobbing. They shared a look, both frowning that their friend was that upset. But when it came time to talk to her Cana stopped by the door.

"I'll let you calm her down first. I'm not sure how she'd react to seeing both of us at the same time right now, but just in case I'd rather not risk it with Michiko being here too."

Natsu just nodded before crawling through the door and into the small hut. He was surprised to see that he and Lisanna both still fit inside the little room. After all they'd made it as kids, so it wasn't as large as it could have, or even should have been for them to call it a play house, which was why it was just called the hut.

"You alright Lisanna?"

Natsu asked, a bit hesitant as he approached the crying girl. At the sound of his voice she only sobbed harder, not saying a word in response. Since he had Michiko with him Natsu couldn't pull Lisanna into a hug, so he settled for softly draping one arm over her shoulder and pulled her head onto his shoulder.

Michiko didn't seem happy about that, but when he made eye contact with his daughter, she somehow seemed to understand that this talk needed to happen. While it didn't stop her from squirming around uncomfortably, she did puff up her checks and give him a pouty face instead of outright wail like he thought she was going to.

Eventually Lisanna calmed down enough to talk.

"I'm sorry… It's just. I was so happy to be back, and I thought things would be just like they were before. But then…. Then Mira told me about how you and Cana are raising a kid and I just felt my heart sink."

"I don't know what to say to that…"

Natsu responded in a rather subdued tone. But the white haired woman shook her head.

"You don't have to say anything. Even when we were young and I called myself your 'wife' I knew… I knew you would never actually be mine."

"I can't even argue against that."

Natsu grumbled, a little upset that he couldn't do a better job at helping Lisanna feel better.

"It's fine. I'm alright now. I just needed to have a good cry about it that's all."

"Hey Lisanna, if it helps I can tell you that Michiko here," Natsu paused his words long enough to point at the little girl he was holding. But then he picked right back up "Michiko isn't our daughter by blood, even though Cana and I are raising her as if she was."

That confused Lisanna, though she did note he didn't apologize for any of it.

"What do you mean not your child by blood?"

So Natsu told her about how Cana needed his help on a job, and then the results of said job. As she listened Lisanna could tell that they had made the right choice to raise the little girl. She could also tell that Natsu was more than fond of Cana, which did make her heart stop for a moment, but she shook her head. She had already gotten over the fact he couldn't be hers.

"Now then… Cana was worried about you too. But she wasn't sure how you'd react to seeing both of us and the little one here at the same time. Plus it's already a bit cramped in here. Why don't we get out and stretch so she can join in our talk."

Natsu offered as the conversation hit a lull. Since she couldn't think of a reason not to, Lisanna nodded her head and followed Natsu out from the little hut. Standing just off to the side when they came out was Cana, who had a soft smile on her face. One that told Lisanna that Natsu's feelings were echoed by Cana.

When the brunette opened her mouth to speak, she just held up her hand.

"I'm good now. Besides I can tell what you're about to say, and it's okay. I don't need to hear it."

Lisanna told her. Natsu was clearly confused by that and tilted his head in confusion as Cana gently took Michiko from him. It was just about dinner time anyway so while they were talking she prepared a bottle for their daughter.

"Even if that's the case, I need to say it Lisanna. I wouldn't feel right otherwise."

Cana told her as she placed the bottle's teat near Michiko's mouth. The little girl latched onto her bottle as Lisanna just nodded her acceptance.

"I know this doesn't make you feel better or anything like that, especially since you've always liked Natsu… But in the time that he and I have been taking care of Michiko, I've fallen for him. Though it wasn't until after seeing him go ballistic in Edolas that I realized it. I'm not sorry to say I'm in love with Natsu just like you, but I am sorry you had to find things out the way you did."

Since Cana's words were enough for him to realize why Lisanna said she didn't need to hear Cana's apology he felt he should speak up as well, especially as it helped him realize something.

"You know, Dragons and Dragon Slayers have a habit of falling in love at a young age. Apparently I had even marked Cana as someone I wanted to be my mate before even meeting you, back before you, Mira, and Elfman even joined the guild… But I realize now, when you came around and started calling yourself my wife, it somehow made my body at least realize I wasn't ready for that, so I ignored the mark and even forgot about it entirely. It wasn't until I actually started thinking about the idea of a mate that I began to actually have feelings for her. I guess in a way I should be saying thank you for helping me realize I wasn't ready back then, even if I didn't actually know it."

Lisanna smiled, not really happy to be thanked for helping him grow up in such a roundabout way, but she accepted his words since she knew he was just trying to help her feel like she was still important to him, even though she wasn't as important as she wanted to be.

With everything settled the three just stood around awkwardly. The weren't sure what to say or do, now that the situation had been handled. Eventually without really meaning to they drifted to the guild. Granted once they realized it Natsu and Cana were just going to say hi, make sure everyone knew that Lisanna was okay and then head home get some dinner for themselves, put Michiko to bed for the night, and relax just the two of them.

But things can never go as planned. The moment they walked into the guild Natsu was called up to the master's office along with Gajeel. They were both confused, but since the older man said it was important they made their way into his office.

"Shut the door behind you please."

Makarov said when they entered the office. Even after that he used his magic to soundproof the room. Which put both Dragon Slayers on edge.

"Now then. This is of the utmost importance. But I need you two to listen to everything I say before you make your decision."

Sharing a look the two Dragon Slayers slowly nodded in response.

"To the West, over by Dawn city, there is a group of Wyverns that has recently taken up residence. The council has asked for our aid in dealing with them. As the two best suited for the job I ask of you to work together to deal with them. I would have brought Wendy in on this as well but she's still a bit too young for something this dangerous."

Natsu and Gajeel both nodded at his last statement. Sure Wendy was strong, and held to her convictions just like them, but the only time she was truly confident in herself and her powers was things were safe and easy.

"I know you said to wait until you were finished but if they're causing problems then we can't just sit by and do nothing gramps. But that reminds me, I had Happy give you a report on what happened back when Cana and I dealt with the Drake nest before we adopted Michiko… The thing is there is one thing he probably couldn't tell you."

Gajeel and Makarov were both curious at what Natsu was about to say so they were both quiet waiting for him to speak.

"At first I confronted two of them. They wouldn't back down… Gramps I know back when we first met you made me promise not to fight with the intent to kill. I know you also said accidents happen and that it's alright if we didn't mean to so long as we don't enjoy killing and become cold and dark. But… I had to fight to kill. Every one of those Drakes I encountered I fought with the intent to kill. I didn't enjoy having to do so, but I would do it all again if I had to."

Makarov didn't hesitate with his response.

"It's alright my boy. I know sometimes you have to do things you don't want to. Sometimes you are thrown into situations where you do what you must in order to survive. I'm glad to see you've learned those lessons and that you've learned them well. Especially since I only gave you that rule as a way of keeping you from going any further down that dark path you were starting on when we met."

Natsu just nodded his head silently. Then he spoke up again, this time focused more on Gajeel.

"After I dealt with the first two, as they were bleeding out I learned a few things, things that you should probably know. With draconic races, including us Dragon Slayers, when one triumphs over another in a fight to the death, The winner absorbs the essence and magic of the loser. In other words we grow stronger when we kill a draconic being. Apparently even mechanical ones count since I feel quite a bit stronger after taking out that Dorma Anim thing."

Gajeel and Makarov both gulped. To grow stronger that way, well considering their magic was called **Dragon Slayer** magic, it made sense. But it still seemed a bit much to them. After a moment Makarov spoke.

"As much as I dislike it, I give my permission. If fact I have to ask you to be ready to slay these Wyverns. But don't throw your lives away. If it gets to be to much I order you to run away and protect your lives."

"Got it."

Both slayers commented in unison.

"Oh, two more things. Because it's important the council is sending someone that specializes in **Teleportation** magic to get you two there as fast as possible."

"What's the other thing gramps?"

"Since you've adopted Michiko I've had to change things around. Originally you and Cana were both going to be selected to take part in the S-class trials here in a month. But with everything that's happened I don't feel right doing that. You both are needed here at home to take care of your little girl. So instead, for you this is your trial. When you and Gajeel get back I will name you S-class for completing this quest. Actually I'll make that the reward for both of you."

A bit shocked Natsu and Gajeel didn't say anything. They just stared at the guild master. Makarov sighed having expected this. But the he explained why.

"I know you probably don't want any special treatment, but this job is an S-class mission in it's own right. So if you two can complete it then you're worthy of being S-class anyway."

They couldn't really argue against him. Natsu especially. Sure he'd been able to handle the Drakes no problem, but his magic was designed to, plus they were fire Drakes anyway so he never had to worry about running out of magic. But he recalled the worry he felt when Cana's magic presence suddenly dropped, as if she had spent almost all of her magic to protect herself. Which she had since her card summon had been out long enough to fight and defeat two Drakes on its own.

"I understand gramps. I'll prove that I'm ready for it."

"I can't let Salamander show me up, so of course I'm going to."

Gajeel commented, not really bothered by the idea of becoming S-class through a different method than normal. Especially since he was S-class during his time with Phantom Lord. So it would be more of a return to status for him.

"Do we have any details to go on about these Wyverns?"

He suddenly had the thought to ask. Mostly because the Iron Dragon Slayer knew there was only one type of Wyvern that could give them trouble.

"All the intel we have on the group of Wyverns is that they use a mix of **Fire** and **Earth** magic. Based on that my guess is that they are Volcaniverns."

"For those magics that sounds about right."

Natsu responded.

"Anyway it would probably be best if you waited for the council employee out in the guild hall. That way you're easy for him to find."

Since the guild master's words made sense Natsu and Gajeel both nodded and left his office.

"Damn am I proud to know brats like those two."

Makarov muttered to himself. The entire time they were talking he watched them for any sign of refusal, but neither one of them were willing to back down, and they actually became more serious about handling the situation when they realized the amount of chaos the Wyverns could be causing.

When they left the office a couple people asked the two Dragon Slayers what the master wanted to see them about, but they were silent. Since they needed to be ready at a moments notice, the two didn't stray very far from each other which was strange to those that noticed.

But everyone in the guild was completely floored when Natsu ignored them to walk right up to Cana and kiss her deeply. When he pulled away there was a small smile on his face.

"Something important came up. I've got to be ready to go with the metal freak at any time."

His next action made a few people freeze entirely. Several mugs of alcohol fell to the floor as Natsu removed his signature scarf and carefully wrapped it around Cana's neck. Even Cana was amazed by the fact he was giving her his scarf. After all the entire guild knew how much his white scarf meant to him.

Before she could question it however, a man suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. He looked right at Natsu and Gajeel.

"Let's move."

With that statement the two slayers were by his side. The guild wasn't even able to blink before the trio of men were gone. Considering how strange things seemed to be the entire guild was tense as they wondered just what was happening. But there was no one that could give them an answer. The guild master had shut himself up in his office to handle paperwork, so they had to wait until he came out again to get the information they wanted.

A short while later Makarov exited his office.

"Master, what's going on? Why did Natsu and Gajeel leave with that man that just suddenly appeared in the guild hall?"

Erza questioned. He could tell that everyone in the guild wanted to ask the same thing. Sighing he decided it would be best to tell them all about what was going on.

"Listen up brats! The council had specifically asked our guild to handle a situation. As Dragon Slayers those two were the best possible choice to send. They are going to be dealing with a group of Wyverns."

Several of the older members shivered. A good few had been on missions that required them to deal with just one Wyvern and they struggled to handle it. Of course they weren't as strong as either of the two slayers, and the slayers magic would be better for the job, but they still felt concern for the two.

A lot of the younger generation was concerned as well. Erza especially. Given what she had seen back in Edolas, the red headed knight felt Natsu should be resting instead.

"At least it wasn't just one of them on their own. But why didn't you send someone else with them?!"

"Erza, I can't send someone one else. Wendy is too young, and the rest of you would just get in the way."

A couple of them wanted to argue against that point, but they didn't. Not when the guild master's tone told them that was his decision and it was final.

"It's okay Erza."

Cana commented drawing everyone's attention towards her and Michiko. Most of them were shocked that she was smiling despite how things seemed. The brunette woman could tell that they all wanted to ask why she was still calm and not freaking out. So with a sigh she explained.

"They'll be fine. Natsu has to come home to Michiko and I. Plus he's so stubborn and thick headed that there is no way he'd let something happen to Gajeel. He'll make sure they both return."

* * *

S.R: Okay so a few things you guys need to know (Hopefully this will stop the mountain of reviews about what's going on).

**Firstly, Because Natsu and Cana can not be part of the group that goes to Tenrou island I decided to do this. I mean They are going to miss out on the S-class trials in order to raise Michiko. On it's own that would have been fine and it will be fine for Cana. But given Natsu's drive to be recognized as one of the strongest, he would be frustrated at missing out. So I came up with this idea as a way for Makarov to give Natsu an alternative to the S-class trials since he'll be missing out on them.**

**Secondly, No this does not mean that Gajeel won't be part of the group that goes to Tenrou Island. He's still going to be missing because of the time skip. Giving him the promotion as well is just my way of preparing a reason for why someone else isn't going to Tenrou. **

**Thirdly, and probably most importantly. Lisanna. Remember, she's always been described as kindhearted and caring. There is no way she would actually cause any trouble to or for Natsu because of how she felt. Lisanna is the kind of character that would back off and accept things as they are. Which is what she did. So yes she is in character, and No I'm not changing that scene. **

S.R: Anyway I'll see you guys next time!


	12. Chapter 12

S.R: I've got nothing, so we're just gonna dive right into the chapter.

* * *

Even though her words weren't enough to convince everyone that things would be okay for Natsu and Gajeel, no one argued against Cana after she told Erza that they'd come back. Instead the guild was silent, most of them having lost the desire to have fun like they had been before the master told them what the two Dragon Slayers were doing. A few members were even leaving the guild. But when Erza tried to make her way towards the door as well she was stopped by the guild master.

"Why are you stopping me master?"

"Erza I know you brats well enough to tell, you were planning to search for them."

"Can you blame me for worrying about them? Yes their magic should help in dealing with a group of Wyverns, but even so just fighting a pair of them is labeled as an S-class job!"

The red head returned, and it was then that Makarov realized why she was acting this way. Erza had seen the lengths Natsu would go to for his adopted daughter, and she felt sorry for thinking the man wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility.

"You can't make up for you mistakes by getting in his way Erza."

"No but I can make sure he doesn't die because this job was too much."

She tried to argue. In his head Makarov was wondering just how much Natsu had rubbed off on his teammate. Erza was never this stubborn or headstrong before they had created Team Natsu after all.

"Given what I know Erza I can confidently tell you that neither of them will die. In fact the two of them will be coming back to the guild stronger than when they left."

This made the red headed knight pause. She looked towards the guild master curiously, hoping he would explain how he knew and why he sounded so confident.

"I gave my permission for them to fight with the intent to kill. So they won't be holding back like normal."

"But that doesn't explain why you sound so confident that they'll be stronger when they return."

Erza commented, her words drawing the attention of Cana and Gray since they were curious about the idea of the two Slayers being stronger.

"Dragon Slayers are considered to be one of the draconic races. According to Natsu, when a draconic being, no matter if it's an actual Dragon, Drake, Wyvern, or Slayer wins in a fight to the death against another draconic being it will become stronger. He wasn't able to explain exactly how it works, but my theory is that their magic reacts by absorbing the remaining magic from the loser. Which means that they increase the size of their magic containers, and quite possibly increase the potency of their magic."

The guild master explained, completely aware of the fact Erza was not the only one in the guild listening to him. He could tell that Gray was getting frustrated by the fact Natsu seemed to be leaving him in the dust ever since he returned from the mission with Cana. The brunette was also listening but he felt that she was just interested in learning more about Natsu.

"Besides, I'm making it an order that you are not allowed to leave Magnolia to help them."

The guild master told his argumentative S-class mage. He knew even after hearing that they'd be getting stronger in the process of dealing with the Wyverns she would still want to help. So he gave her his final words on the matter, because he knew she would never disobey him.

At that point Michiko was yawning in Cana's arms. Shaking her head with a smile, she stepped up to stand beside Erza.

"Everything will be fine."

With that she left the guild to head home and put her daughter to bed for the night. Since it was close to closing anyway Mira asked if someone else could take over cleaning up for the night and raced after the **Card** mage in order to be an extra set of hands while Natsu was gone.

**Meanwhile**

Natsu, Gajeel, and the council's man appeared on the crest of a hill overlooking Dawn City. Just on the outer edge of their senses the two Dragon Slayers could feel the presence of the Wyverns but they weren't able to figure out how many.

"So, is there anything you can tell us that they didn't tell gramps?"

Natsu asked as he turned to the man. He had already met Doranbolt a few times so he wasn't surprised to see that he was the one assigned to bring them to Dawn City with his **Teleportation** magic. After a moment Doranbolt replied.

"The only thing we were able to find out after appraising master Makarov of the situation is that there is infighting among a group of what seems to be a total of sixteen Wyverns."

Doranbolt was bewildered when he saw both Dragon Slayers stiffen at his words, even more so when Gajeel spoke up.

"Shit that's bad. Two nests are fighting for territory. Natsu we have to split up if we want any chance of preventing them from destroying the city."

But the tone of his voice told the other two men that were present how little he liked the idea of splitting up. It was a real shock to Doranbolt though since as far as he could tell from the reports the two were always bantering and insulting each other, never acting professional or calling each other by their actual names.

"I know. I don't like it either."

Natsu responded, though after a moment he continued.

"Don't hold back. If they talk try and make them back down. If not go for the kill since they won't hesitate to do the same."

"Right."

With that the two shot off at ridiculous speeds. Doranbolt wasn't even able to open his mouth to reject the idea of them separating before they had vanished from his sight. Sighing he pulled out a communication lacrima and informed the council that they had arrived and the two slayers went ahead to begin fighting the Wyverns.

**With Gajeel**

Since they could feel the Wyverns in two different directions after Doranbolt's explanation, the two slayers split up, with Gajeel heading towards the group that didn't feel like Natsu. Since it was already confirmed that the Wyverns used **Fire** and **Earth** based magic, it made sense for him to leave the group that felt like **Fire** magic users to Natsu. Though he did chuckle to himself about how things were a bit easier now that it was two nests of single element Wyverns instead of a nest of Volcaniverns who had access to two elements at the same time.

Because of how dangerous it would be to confront an entire nest at once Gajeel moved slowly and paid careful attention to his surroundings, hoping that he could deal with them one at a time. Luckily for him his first encounter at least was just one Wyvern. It's scales were a deep brown in color.

"_**I know you're there**_."

It called out in an attempt to taunt him.

"I know it's no use hiding, but you'll pardon me for being careful."

"_**Oh? A human that isn't overestimating themselves? One that seems to clearly understand the situation they find themselves in? That's rare.**_"

Normally Gajeel would agree, most humans tended to be arrogant when they were dealing with creatures that they didn't know or fully understand. But considering he had a job to do he didn't voice his opinion.

"Look, your nest and the other nest are causing problems. My alpha and I were asked to come handle the situation… I know I can't handle a whole nest of you bastards on my own just yet so I'd rather not fight if I can avoid it."

"_**Your alpha? Wait, this scent. You are a Dragon Slayer aren't you? No wonder you're handling things this way.**_**"**

Gajeel just shook his head. Sure this Wyvern was at least being polite and talking with him, but he could tell from it's tone he would have to fight.

"You said nothing about my desire to avoid a fight, which tells me all I need to know."

He commented, jumping out from behind the large boulder he'd been standing behind. Natsu had told him not to hold back and to go for the kill so when he revealed himself Gajeel's right arm was transformed.

His '**Iron Dragon's Sword**' already slashing through the air. A pleased smirk stretched across his face when he noticed the Wyvern wasn't expecting to be attacked so suddenly like that. The first blood of the fight was his, as his sword sliced through the scales of it's left arm. He knew the Wyvern would try it's damnedest to prevent him from drawing more blood though.

"_**You fucking coward! Attacking so suddenly like that. Fight with honor dammit!**_"

They Wyvern roared at him, before swiping it's right arm towards him, claws ready to slice him to pieces.

"**Iron Dragon's Scales**"

Gajeel cried out, hoping his increased defense would be enough since he was still partially in the air and unable to avoid the attack. 'Clang' was all they heard as the claws struck his iron body. Only one of it's claws hit him cleanly enough to get past his scales while the rest just bounced off harmlessly. The damage was minimal though, so he smiled when his feet finally touched the ground again.

"**Iron Dragon's Roar**!"

Point blank he aimed at the Wyvern's chest, not surprised when it leaned back and fired a roar of it's own to counter his. But Gajeel's roar was stronger and rather than push the Wyvern's roar back, it punched through it to slam into the Wyvern's upper body. Roaring in pain the Wyvern flailed about hoping to trample the Dragon Slayer as it tried to steady itself.

But Gajeel only just managed to avoid being stepped on. He did have to use both his arms to block the tail that tried to smash him into the ground however. Though because it didn't even try to pull it's tail back he took the chance to attack.

"**Iron Dragon's Hard Fist**"

With the scales still covering his body adding to his offensive power Gajeel lashed out, his fist shattering the scales on the Wyvern's tail and biting into it's flesh just a bit.

"_**I will fucking destroy you!**_"

The Wyvern cried out in rage as it clawed at him once more. Jumping sideways he avoided the attack, but was unable to correct his footing before the tail came for him once again. He was lifted off the ground and tossed into the air from the force of the tail impacting his ribs.

The Wyvern looked like it wanted to lung for him as he was falling but, both he and the Wyvern knew that wouldn't be a good idea. Instead it just glared at him with an intense hate. However Gajeel now had the perfect opportunity to finish the fight. Channeling his magic into his body, the Iron Dragon Slayer turned his legs into a massive drill.

The Wyvern tilted it's head in confusion as Gajeel called out "**Iron Dragon's Secret Art Karma Demon: Iron Spiral**!" But then he began to rotate his body at high speeds. Understanding what was about to happen the Wyvern tried to avoid the attack, but found that it moved a bit too sluggishly.

Gajeel's attack shredded the body when he landed on they Wyvern's back causing an immense and fatal amount of damage to it. As he stopped moving Gajeel started to pant lightly, not having expected to have to use a secret art to deal with just one Wyvern. But within moments of his landing on the ground he started to feel his magic replenishing itself at a much larger rate than it ever had before. Thanks to the boost, and the battle he had just finished the Iron Dragon Slayer was sure he could defeat the rest of the nest, so long as it was in groups of one or two at a time.

"Gehehehehe, that's one down at least."

**With Natsu**

"_**Why won't you just give up and die already!**_"

A Wyvern shouted as Natsu dodged it's claws once more. Like Gajeel he tried to talk with the Wyvern when he found it, but it completely ignored him. At least until he ate the fire it had launched at him. But all it would talk about was it's desire to kill him and prove that Natsu as a human was weaker no matter what kind of magic he used.

Natsu wasn't sure he wanted to even bother to make the Wyvern surrender when it began spewing threats about eating him and his nest though. So with his patience tested, he finally counter attacked. It was such a sudden and unexpected move that he got right up to the Wyvern's throat before it even thought about defending itself. But it was too late as Natsu's '**Fire Dragon's Pulverizing Fist**' crushed it's windpipe.

The Wyvern wasn't finished however and tried one last time to skewer him with it's claws. Having known it wouldn't give up and would fight until it's last breath, Natsu was ready and managed to avoid the attack in time.

"Just know that I take no joy in doing this."

Natsu told the Wyvern before jumping up onto it's back. Before the Wyvern could even process his words Natsu had used his '**Fire Dragon's Piercing Claw**' to make a hole in it's skull and smash it's brain with a kick.

A not too distant roar was heard the moment he felt the Wyvern breathe it's last. But Natsu was confident he could handle a one on one fight with another Wyvern easily now. Though he somehow knew the one he'd just killed was the weakest in the nest. '_I can't afford to let my emotions get in the way._' He thought to himself, completely aware of the fact that his regret and remorse for having to kill these Wyvern's could be his doom. So he pushed aside his morals for the sake of making sure he survived to the end of his mission.

"I'm ready for whatever you throw at me!"

He shouted to the sky in an effort to psych himself back up, so that he could fight at his best. Again he heard a roar of anger from another Wyvern. Smiling he taunted "At least give me a good fight that can get me all fired up!" When the Wyvern made its appearance he just grinned, even as it tried to intimidate him with it's roar.

"_**My Mate! You insignificant worm, how dare you! I will utter crush you!**_"

The Wyvern screamed at him as it landed beside the body of its now dead mate. From the tone Natsu knew it was a female, and by her size he was certain the two Wyverns were busy already. In fact if he had to guess Natsu would say she was just a few days away from laying her egg.

'_I can't talk her down either. Since her mate is gone she can do nothing but see red… I really don't like this but I'll have to put __both her and the unhatched egg down. Hard__.' _Natsu thought to himself with a frown while she shouted in anger.

Jumping he dodged her claws as the female Wyvern attempted to shred him to pieces. But her tail was already cutting through the air as it came towards him, showing that she had expected him to dodge her claws. With a huff, Natsu channeled his magic towards his feet, as small gouts of flame appeared and gave him a speed boost, just in time to dodge the tail as well.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to make this as painless as possible."

Natsu told the Wyvern and the unhatched egg as he adjusted himself in the air before increasing the flames at his feet, which sent him rocketing towards her.

"**Fire Dragon's Sword Horn**!"

He cried out before the impact. His head smashing into her stomach harshly. The force behind his attack was far more than she seemed to have been expecting as he managed to cause her to slide along the ground for a few dozen feet. But it had enough power that Natsu was able to hear the sound of something cracking. Since he hit her stomach, he figured the sound was that of the egg being broken, which the female Wyvern clearly heard as well.

"_**You bastard! **__**Die! Die! Die!**_"

She screeched, over and over as she attempted to kill him in a mindless rage. It was so sloppy that Natsu was easily able to avoid her claws and her tails as he waited for an opening. Finally she snapped and lunged towards him with the intent to pulverize him with her teeth.

"**Fire Dragon's Pulverizing Iron Fist**!"

Natsu attacked, his right arm held up in front as her mouth surrounded him. His fist punched through the roof of her mouth and into her skull, similar to how he had killed the last Drake back when he rescued Cana, Happy, and Michiko when they were on that mission. Except this time he was inside the Wyverns mouth, rather than beside it.

He could feel her entire body twitching as she desperately tried to through him around inside her mouth and cut him up with her sharp teeth and fangs. But there was very little force behind her movement, so he managed to keep his footing and avoid going near her sharp teeth as the life slowly left her body.

"Even with permission from gramps I still don't feel right killing them."

Natsu muttered to himself as he carefully lifted the female Wyvern's jaw up so he could climb out of her mouth. By the time he managed to reach the ground again he could feel the boost from killing her, his magic container refilled and expanded thanks to the power he was receiving from her. At this point Natsu glanced towards where he could feel Gajeel was. It was very faint, but somehow he knew what was about to happen. After a moment of looking off to the east he could feel the increase in Gajeel's power.

"So he's dealt with at least one over there."

* * *

S.R: Yeah this chapter is shorter than the others. That's because I didn't want to make the fights seem really long or overly complicated since, well, we still have the rest of the nests to deal with. Plus the last Wyverns of each nest are going to be different. Mostly because in Gajeel's case I don't really like how his second element is Shadow. But I don't feel right giving him a secondary element and not Natsu as well right now so they're both getting one. I also don't feel right giving Natsu Lightning in this situation since he's dealing with Wyverns that specialize in Fire.

Natsu: Well I wouldn't be able to get Lightning from Laxus anyway since I won't be at Tenrou island. So I guess that makes sense.

S.R: True but that doesn't mean you wouldn't be able to get it eventually. I'm actually on the fence about if I should still give you Lightning as a third element. I mean I do think I'm going to eventually have you face off against Serena so giving you more magic to use against him would probably be a good idea…. Eh, we're rambling again. Anyway I'll see you loyal readers next time!


	13. Chapter 13

S.R: Okay so, when I came up with this idea I was fully prepared to write out two extremely badass fights for Natsu and Gajeel that would lead to them learning their secondary elements. But my hands seem to have had different plans. Well, I like how it turned out, so it stays. Epic and badass fights will come later on I guess.

* * *

Gajeel groaned as he pulled himself off the ground. Because he was trying to be careful in how he handled the rest of the nest, it had been a good while since he and Natsu had first split up. The first Wyvern he'd defeated had been pretty weak compared to the rest of it's nest as he came to learn.

Most of the day had already passed, and rather than let them swarm him in a large group he'd picked them off when he had the chance. Counting his first encounter the Iron Dragon Slayer had only dealt with six of the eight Wyverns that made up the nest. It had gotten easier and easier each time, but he as he got closer to the place he figured the nest was staying at, and closer to the alpha who had be guarding said base he could tell there was still a clear difference. As if the alpha was far older and stronger than the rest of the nest. '_But that shouldn't be possible_' Gajeel thought to himself when he realized the difference between the alpha and the rest of it's nest. Unlike Drakes who didn't really care about their nest mates, Wyvern's were picky in that they would only nest with others from the same age group.

A roar pulled him from his thoughts. When he spotted the approaching Wyvern, he gave a tired sigh.

"Dammit, this is getting to be exhausting."

He had been taking a rest to try and regain some of his stamina. While his magic was becoming more and more potent, and restoring itself after each kill, his physical capabilities weren't able to keep up. Rolling his neck, Gajeel glared at the Wyvern that landed a short distance away. But it did nothing, besides glare right back at him.

"Let's just get this fight over with so I can go back to resting up before I handle your alpha."

Gajeel stated as he activated his **Iron Dragon's Scales** to boost both his defense and offense. But the Wyvern didn't say anything. It didn't even growl or roar at him. The look in the Wyverns eyes was calm and collected though. So Gajeel took that as a provocation, that he was being given the first move.

"Don't regret letting me go first" Gajeel said before becoming a blur. Considering the feeling of his magic, and the way his body was built, the Wyvern had to smirk approvingly. Somehow proud that the Dragon Slayer was faster than expected. Gajeel had chosen to use a new spell he had made in a previous fight. With his magic changing his arms into a massive sledge hammer, he called out "**Iron Dragon's ****Secret Art Karma Demon: ****Crushing Hammer**!"

Swiping his arms horizontally he brought the head of the sledge hammer his arms had become into the side of the Wyvern with enough force to send it to the ground upon impact. They Wyvern couldn't even roar in pain as all the air in it's body had been knocked out by the attack.

Since he used a bit more power to make sure the fight would be over quickly, Gajeel wasn't surprised to see the Wyvern didn't even bother to stand back up. The look in it's eyes wasn't one of anger or contempt for defeating it, but instead it was a look of respect. Despite the fact the Wyvern never tried to speak, and wasn't going to speak to him at all it still respected the **Iron Dragon Slayer**.

The black haired man was going to sit down and rest, but then he felt the magical presence of the alpha beginning to move. For the first time since he started attacking the nest, the Alpha was finally responding.

**Meanwhile With Natsu**

"This has been far to suspicious."

The pink haired man whispered to himself as he crept into the large cave he'd found. Seven of the Wyverns were already defeated, and even though he should have stopped Natsu had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that pushed him forward without rest.

After a few moments of wondering through the dim tunnel it widened up into an absolutely massive cavern. In the center was the last Wyvern, the alpha of the nest he'd just killed. Compared to the others, it was far larger. The scales on it's body were not as vibrantly colored, and he could see several small scars littering it's scales.

"_**So the **__**Slayer**__** finally enters my domain**_**.**"

The Wyvern spoke, the weathered and gruff tone, being another clue as to the fact the alpha was far older than the rest of the nest. It was enough to confuse Natsu severely. Especially since the other Wyverns didn't seem to want to talk like this one.

"What is going on? Why is an elder Wyvern like yourself part of a nest with all those young ones?"

"_**Well, I and several other Wyverns were given a job by the Dragons of the north. The young ones were ordered to accompany us as guards.**_"

But the response Natsu was given wasn't expected, and it confused him even more. Especially since the Wyvern was being so open about it all.

"_**I see you are still confused. Since you are my task, allow me to explain. Far to the north in a land known as Guiltina are 5 dragons who are known as the Dragon Gods. They know of you Dragon Slayers, and have sent us to test you. The young ones were sent as a means of boosting your strength. Myself and the other alphas however… We are not to fight to the death like our 'nests' were. If you prove yourselves capable we are to grant you **__**the ability to use **__**our magic as a secondary magic**__**."**_

"Why?"

That was all Natsu could think to ask. After all even if the explanation did make sense to him, he still needed to know why.

"_**The Dragon Gods fled from this land to avoid Acnologia, and while in hiding have grown strong enough to rival that foul beast. But rather than risk him growing even stronger after defeating one of them, they are staying out of the conflict. At least directly. Defeating Acnologia falls to you Dragon Slayers, and so the Dragon Gods are lending you their aid by using us to help you grow stronger. That is my understanding of things at least."**_

"So then why are you and this other nest stirring up trouble?"

Natsu questioned. It was a valid and important question to ask after hearing the story of why the Wyvern was even in Fiore, but if anyone from the guild were to hear it, they'd look at Natsu as if he'd grown a second head. Mostly because Natsu wasn't really 'smart' to them. Sure he was a genius with his magic and fighting, but other than that he was supposed to be dumber than a bag of rocks.

"_**Our conflict was just a means of drawing your attention.**_"

"I see… But why would these 'Dragon Gods' send you all to your deaths? Why did the others obey that order?"

Natsu questioned, he still felt uneasy about the fact he had killed the other Wyvern's that made up the nest. Add on the fact they were sent to help him grow stronger by allowing him to kill them? He was completely and totally lost.

"_**Most of our kind would rather be slain by one of you Slayers than die to Acnologia. If it means giving someone else the power to stand up to him and the ability to ensure the future of our kind, we would gladly obey the Dragon Gods orders to sacrifice ourselves."**_

But Natsu shook his head.

"How can you just throw your life away like that!"

"_**Surely you've noticed. Dragon-kind don't have an average or even expected lifespan. So we never reach a 'peak' in power. We are constantly growing stronger until the moment we die. Yet there is still such a large difference between the different **__**species**__** that **__**it takes centuries to be comparable to another. I'm already approaching 500 years old, yet I can only just manage a draw against a young freshly hatched Dragon. How old would I have to be to equal Acnologia in terms of power? I'd have to at least be a few hundred millennia to even approach that monster given just how many dragons he's slain and absorbed. Yet in that time he'd be growing stronger as well. It just isn't possible for one of us to ever equal him, so rather than cower and await the extinction of our kind we would rather lend our power to someone that could rival him in far less time than it would take for one of us."**_

Unable to counter Laveatil's reasoning Natsu remained silent. He didn't like the fact that the Wyverns had just given up, but he could understand it at least. Since he could see that Natsu wasn't going to push things further Laveatil spoke up again.

"_**Now**__**, before we begin the test to see if you are worthy of using another element I must ask. Which slayer are you?**_"

Even though Natsu didn't agree with what the Wyvern was ordered to do he decided to hold off arguing and just go with the flow.

"I am Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel the Fire Dragon King."

"_**So you are the Fire Dragon Slayer. I am Laveatil. **__**Before being sent here from Guiltina I was known as the strongest Volcanivern. As my Fire magic would be useless to you, if you can pass my test I will grant you my Earth magic."**_

"I'm all fired up!"

Natsu responded, reluctance evident in his voice, though the Wyvern was pleased to notice there was a hint of eagerness to it as well. '_He might not like the method, but it seems he won't reject the power he'll receive.__**' **_The old Wyvern thought to himself.

**Back With Gajeel**

"That ain't a bad deal. Though I'm curious how those Dragon Gods know about us."

Gajeel commented to the Wyvern that had approached him. Unlike the others, before it had even landed on the ground it was talking to him. The first words from it's mouth were asking for him to allow it to explain what was going on. Then Gajeel was given the same speech Natsu had gotten. The **Iron Dragon Slayer** was just as confused as Natsu was after hearing about it all, but he would gladly take a reason to get stronger.

"_**The other alphas and I were not made aware of how they knew about you Dragon Slayers... Oh, where are my manners. I am Tit**__**o**__**ri, a Titanium Wyvern."**_

"Gajeel Redfox, Iron Dragon Slayer."

"_**Normally I'd be insulted by the lack of respect, but I can tell you just want this to be over with already. Very well, Come test yourself against my might!**_"

**Meanwhile**

"I don't know what to do!"

Cana groaned at Mira, almost in tears. Michiko had been so tired when they left the guild, but after they got back to Natsu's home, the little one refused to go to sleep. Mira was being an extra set of hands for Cana since Natsu was out, but even together they couldn't come up with a solution. Michiko was getting extremely cranky since she wasn't going to sleep, but no matter what they tried the baby girl just wouldn't fall asleep.

"It's not safe to use **Sleep** magic no matter how weak on anyone younger than 5 years old, so we can't do that. We've both tried rocking her to sleep, I tried singing a lullaby, you tried humming one. I can't think of anything else to try."

Mira responded, just as confused and worn out as Cana. Both the **Card** mage and **Take Over** mage were exhausted. They'd been trying for hours and hours but nothing worked. But then Michiko who was flailing her arms about in her temper tantrum, managed to grab the scarf that was wrapped around Cana's neck. With a tug the little girl pulled the white scarf to herself.

The sound of her crying died down as she calmed herself while looking at the scarf in her hands. A tired yawn escaped her lips as she blinked rapidly. Having seen what just happened Cana and Mira looked at each other in slight frustration.

"She's a daddy's girl, so how could we not realize that all Michiko wanted was something to remind her of him since Natsu's not here right now."

Cana commented, getting an agreeing nod from Mira. With the solution being presented to them, the brunette carefully and gently wrapped Natsu's scarf around Michiko before slowly lowering herself into the rocking chair to hum a lullaby once more. When Michiko was finally asleep in her crib Cana and Mira both relaxed as the tension left their bodies.

"You should get some rest now Cana… After how the last couple days have been for you, you need it."

"I can't. I know what I said at the guild and I fully believe it, but… I can't go to sleep just yet. Not until I know he's back."

The white haired woman just smiled at her friend. Mira fully understood what Cana meant. The brunette was still worried. Not about Natsu returning home, but about the state he'd be in when he did. Not to mention the fact that just by looking at Cana's face, Mira knew the **Card** mage wanted to be there and be the first to tell Natsu "Welcome home."

"Okay then… I'm going to head home and get some sleep myself. If you need help, don't hesitate to let me know."

**Back To Natsu**

"**Fire Dragon's Roar**!"

Natsu used his roar to counter Laveatil's. They had been fighting fairly viciously, but neither of them were going for the kill move since it was supposed to be a test. So Natsu and Laveatil were both in far better shape than most people would be expecting, though they were still pretty roughed up.

Natsu's clothes were in tatters, and his hair was matted down by sweat. A couple bruises were visible on his arms from blocking Laveatil's tail, and there were dozens of small cuts covering his body. Laveatil wasn't in much better shape even though it wasn't possible to know that fact just by looking. But Natsu had crushed the bones in Laveatil's left arm, and broke a few of his ribs as well. There was blood falling from a few spots where Natsu's fists had gotten past Laveatil's scales. The Wyvern was down an eye after having it singed by a **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack**. Yet the two were smiling happily as they fought, laughter echoing through the cavern around them. They were clearly enjoying themselves. After ducking under Laveatil's tail, Natsus retaliated with another "**Fire Dragon's Roar**" but this time it was strong enough to lift the Wyvern off the ground a bit. Wincing in pain the old Wyvern decided that Natsu had proven more than capable.

"_**That's enough… You've passed my test. So I shall grant you the ability to use Earth Dragon Slayer magic like I promised.**_"

Laveatil commented._ '__Even with the knowledge that he is the Dragon Slayer that Igneel raised, he's far stronger than expected. I'm giving my all, yet I can see that he is still holding back. My power certainly won't be enough to put him on equal level with that foul beast Acnologia, but it should be enough to accelerate his continued growth.'_

"So what kind of test was this? Did I just have to prove that I could fight at your level?"

"_**That is correct young slayer. Now, the method for which you are going to learn my Earth based Dragon magic is simple. We consume our elements to regain strength, but you Dragon Slayers have an additional ability that comes from the flexibility you human DNA gives you. If you eat enough of another element, you will gain the ability to wield it. So once I've built up a considerable amount of my magic I will fire a roar at you. When the pain sets in, ignore it as best you can and just keep eating.**_"

Since he understood this would be a serious roar, Natsu set his stance and dug his feet in as he faced the old Wyvern. But what he didn't know was that Laveatil was going to use up every last bit of his power for this. Natsu would gain quite a bit of power from eating enough of the roar, enough so that he'd instantly go into **Dragon Force **thanks to the extreme power boost he'd get. But Laveatil was going to keep going beyond that. Since Natsu was so adamant against the idea of just throwing their lives away, he understood the young man would not agree to finish him off after gaining his new ability.

Pulling not just every last ounce of his magic out from his body, but even his soul, Laveatil readied his attack. By pouring his soul into the roar he was essentially making it a lacrima, to be absorbed similar to how Natsu's magic would react if he had dealt the killing blow to Laveatil. With his mind made up, and everything ready, the old Wyvern unleashed the largest and longest roar he'd ever given. It tore through the air as it traveled towards the pink haired Dragon Slayer.

"Let's do this!"

Natsu shouted to psyche himself up before opening his mouth as wide as possible. It didn't take long for him to feel the pain from eating a new element. But like Laveatil had told him to, Natsu pushed through the pain, stubbornly staying in place rather than collapsing to the ground like his body wanted him to.

'_Holy hell this hurts!'_ He mentally screamed as the pain intensified. Natsu's knees began to buckle as his legs tried to give out on him. On the edge of passing out, Natsu gave his all to stay conscious and keep his mouth open to eat the earthen roar that Laveatil was spewing at him. When he thought he wouldn't be able to take it any longer his body started to fall forward, as his legs gave in completely. But then a surge of energy shot through his body, and he caught himself.

He could only vaguely see himself around the roar that he was funneling into his mouth. Normally when he entered **Dragon Force** his skin would turn crimson red as scales began to form, but this time a dusty burnt orange color was the color of his scales. As he noticed the new color of his scales, he suddenly felt his bones growing stronger and more dense, as if his body was taking on the strong and sturdy aspect of the ground he was eating. It was a really weird feeling, but he found that it didn't bother him all that much. At this point Natsu knew he'd be able to wield the **Earth Dragon Slaying** magic he'd just been gifted, so he was confused why Laveatil kept going.

'_Maybe his roar is blocking his view enough that he can't tell I've entered **Dragon Force**_.' The pink haired man thought to himself with a shrug. He wanted to call out and let the old Wyvern know he had succeeded, but he wasn't sure just how much damage he'd take if he stopped eating the attack and moved to get Laveatil's attention. Because he didn't want to risk getting too hurt to move he stayed silent and waited for the Wyvern to end it's breath attack.

A few minutes later the attack weakened enough for Natsu to be able to see everything clearly. It didn't completely stop, but it was far calmer. Enough so that he could see the straining details of Laveatil's face as he poured his power out into his roar. But his keen eyes also noticed that the Wyvern's eyes were far dimmer than they had been during the fight. Realizing what was happening Natsu charged forward through the roar, ignoring everything around him as he tried to force the Wyvern to stop killing itself to make him stronger.

'_**I truly couldn't have found a more worthy person for this power.**_' Laveatil thought to himself when he noticed Natsu was going to attempt to stop him from dying. But a satisfied smile came to his face. He knew it wouldn't matter. Natsu had absorbed enough of his essence already, so even if he stopped, the old Wyvern was going to die.

"Dammit you don't have to kill yourself for me to grow stronger!"

Natsu called out, frustration and sadness clear in his voice. But Laveatil was already falling, as the last bit of strength left his body. A pleased smile slowly stretched across the Wyvern's face as he gave his last words.

"_**My last moments were doing something I wanted to do. Don't cry for me, son of Igneel for we may meet again in another life.**_"

* * *

S.R: I was originally going to give Natsu a second type of Fire magic, but I couldn't come up with a name that I liked for it, so I scrapped that idea and just gave him Earth Dragon Slaying magic. I mean it can combine pretty easily with his Fire Dragon Slaying magic as you'll see later on. Anyway I'll see you all next time!


	14. Chapter 14

S.R: Considering I have some plans for a big huge multi chapter fight here shortly, I have to ask you guys not to be too pissed at me for the fact this mini fan arc didn't have a whole lot of action. But at least Gajeel will get to kick a bit of ass. Oh and from now on when something is said in the draconian language it'll be in parenthesis.

"talking" - regular talking

'_thinking' - _regular thinking

"_**talking**__" - _drake, wyvern, or a dragon talking

'_**thinking**_' - drake, wyvern, or a dragon thinking

"(talking)" - Speaking in draconian (specifically the slayers)

"**(talking)**" - Speaking in draconian (Drakes, Wyverns, and Dragons)

* * *

'_Holy shit! I've never hit so hard before!'_ Gajeel thought to himself in wonder as he watched Titori smash into the ground after he pummeled her side with his **Iron Dragon's Club** while in **Dragon Force**. But then he noticed the tint to his scales was not quite as dark and dull as normal.

"Oi! This ain't my normal **Dragon Force**!"

"**_Of course not! As we've clashed you've absorbed some of my titanium. Right now the majority of your power was absorbed from my attacks, so you are more of a Titanium Dragon Slayer at the moment you fool!"_**

Even though he was in **Dragon Force** and his magic power was at it's peak, Gajeel was panting heavily. He'd pushed himself just a little too much to get this far. '_If I had another fifteen minutes of rest before she showed up I'd be good right now.'_ The dark haired man thought to himself with a frown. Even though they were still a fair distance apart he could tell Natsu had already finished up with the Wyvern nest he'd gone to attack.

"I don't have time for this. My alpha's finished up with the other nest and I refuse to fall behind!"

Gajeel shouted in anger. Both at the fact he seemed to be so far behind Natsu, and because he didn't know how much longer his stamina would last. Titori narrowed her eyes at him as he took on a new stance. She knew it was a secret art just by the magic he was pouring into his hands, but… She'd never seen that stance before.

'_**It's no matter. He's gained my element as a secondary magic. My job here is done, so I might as well let him get one last power up.'**_

She thought, planning to have the Dragon Slayer kill her with his next attack, so as to avoid dragging things out any longer. The moment she saw his magic circle appear in the air Titori lunged a bit slower than normal, and a bit higher than normal so that she would be hit cleanly and pass over him rather than land on top of the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"**Iron Dragon's Secret Art Karma Demon: Rampaging Iron Claws**!"

Gajeel chanted as his magic power flowed out from his hands forming a massive set of claws on each hand. With a guttural roar of power he brought arms down diagonally. When it connected with her body Titori cried out in pain as several x shaped scars appeared layered over top of each other on her underbelly.

Titori crashed into the ground behind him, but Gajeel was spent. He couldn't move any more. In fact all it took to floor him was a sudden breeze. But he didn't mind. Gajeel and Titori both knew that his last attack was a fatal blow.

"**_(You fought well young one)._**"

Gajeel's eyes widened when he heard the words. He hadn't expected the female Wyvern to say anything in draconic, since the entire time they'd fought, and even before when she introduced herself and explained what was going on she was still speaking in the common tongue. But her words were clearly going to be the last she ever spoke. Since she earned his respect he responded.

"(So did you)."

About that point Gajeel realized he was still in **Dragon Force**. He'd never activated it before, but from the stories he'd heard about how Natsu activated it, the Iron Dragon Slayer figured it would wear off with time. '_Hopefully, Salamander has an idea about how to activate __it__ on our own. This power is unreal.' _He concluded.

"Oi, metal freak you alright?"

He heard the voice of his alpha.

"Ah, shut up Salamander! I'm tryin' to sleep here!"

He retorted, not ready to give in to temptations just yet. If he asked the pink haired Dragon Slayer about **Dragon Force** it would not just be him admitting to being part of the nest. It would mean he fully acknowledged and accepted that he was weaker. If that were true he would never be allowed to challenge the Fire Dragon Slayer for the title of alpha, and that was something Gajeel wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"Was it really that rough over here?"

Natsu questioned as he finally came close enough for Gajeel to see him without sitting up. At this point Gajeel's magic had already fully broken down Titori's body, so he didn't have any proof as to what kind of Wyvern the alpha of the nest he'd defeated was. Especially since his **Dragon Force** had already faded away. In fact, the only proof he was even in a fight previously was the fact he was winded. Well that and the torn and roughed up state of his clothes.

"Anyway come on. We've got to get back to the guild already."

Natsu commented as he held out a hand to help Gajeel stand up again. Even though he didn't want to show any weakness, the dark haired man took the help.

"Ain't that right."

He muttered as he recalled Makarov's words. If they completed the job both of them would be promoted to S-class. In the back of his mind he wondered how things would change, especially in regards to the upcoming S-class trials, but he shook his head unwilling to think about it.

Natsu however went to open his mouth and see if Gajeel had the same experience he did. But he found himself unable to put it into words when he thought about the disgust he felt at killing the Wyverns. So the duo walked in silence as they headed towards the place they'd last seen Doranbolt, in order to have the man take them home.

Every so often Natsu would try to talk about it, but his feelings would prevent him from speaking. Around the fifth time it started to get on Gajeel's nerves.

"For the love of god, just speak already Salamander!"

He growled out, when it happened the tenth time. But Natsu just sighed. Narrowing his eyes, Gajeel stopped and smacked the pink haired man upside the head.

"Pull your head out of your ass and talk already!"

Shaking his head and smacking his cheeks Natsu tried to push his feelings to the side so he could speak.

"Did the alpha tell you about what's going on?"

He finally managed to ask. But Gajeel growled in annoyance at how timid Natsu sounded.

"I don't give a damn about any of that right now. You clearly don't either."

"Sorry…. It's just… After gramps brought me to the guild, he made me promise to never fight with killing intent ever again. I've gotten so used to living that way, that it's unsettling now."

"To hell with that. We're fucking Dragon Slayers. You and I were raised to kill when we had to. I don't know about you and Igneel, but Metalicanna never let me go far enough to enjoy it. If I have to kill I will. Do I feel bad about it? Hell no. If I have to kill, it's because if I didn't I would be the one that winds up dead."

"I was raised that way too. But after spending so long avoiding it, I… I'm just having a hard time rationalizing it again. Especially since I don't want to go back to how I was when gramps found me."

"Killing to survive?"

Gajeel questioned, wanting to snort about how stupid it sounded. Thanks to Metalicanna, and even his time in Phantom Lord, Gajeel was okay with killing in order to survive. Even when he was at his lowest as part of Phantom Lord though, he stuck strongly to his beliefs and never killed if he didn't have to.

"No. When gramps found me I wasn't killing to survive. I was killing because it was easier. You attacked me? Oh well If I hit you once at full power, you're dead and I don't have to worry about exhausting myself to just simply knock you out."

Natsu answered, feeling a bit uncomfortable to be talking about the dark time before he was part of Fairy Tail. '_Makarov really messed his head up then._ Gajeel thought to himself with wide eyes when he finally saw the full picture.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Hell no!"

"Then what's your problem? The old man probably made you stop killing because he was afraid you were starting to like it. You don't enjoy it, but you know how to kill if you have to. Plan and simple."

As he finished speaking Gajeel wondered why he was even bothering to help Natsu out with his problem. But then, just barely, he felt a bit of pain when he looked towards the pink haired man. '_Fuck. It's not much, but it is hurting me to see Salamander all bent out of shape.'_

Natsu however was just repeating Gajeel's words in his mind over and over. Things were quiet between the two as the pink haired man started to see what Gajeel was saying. Out of the corner of his eye the Iron Dragon Slayer noticed that his companion was slowly starting to seem like himself again. Turning his head away to hide it, Gajeel smirked, unwilling to show that he was happy to have helped.

"I needed that pep talk, so thanks Gajeel."

Natsu said after a moment, completely serious.

"Yeah. No problem."

"Anyway, we really do need to talk about the Wyverns though…After all they were sent to train us essentially, and we have no idea how many there are."

Rolling his eyes, the dark haired man responded.

"How about we just deal with this shit as it comes… Girlie ain't ready for a fight like that."

"I hate to say it, but you're right. Wendy isn't ready for that. She might have the power to take down a Wyvern or two, but there's no way she could take on a nest just yet. That's not even mentioning her timid and shy personality."

Gajeel just grunted in response. Natsu wanted to continue the conversation, but just off in the distance they finally spotted Doranbolt. He wasn't alone though, as there was a whole unit of Rune Knights accompanying him.

"We'll talk about this later then..."

Natsu mumbled as they picked up the pace so they could get home sooner.

"What the hell? Why do you two seem so much stronger right now?"

Doranbolt practically shouted when he finally noticed them. But neither slayer answered him. Sighing he moved on and asked the next question he had.

"have all the Wyverns been dealt with?"

"I killed eight of them."

"Same."

Gajeel grunted out after Natsu answered the man's query. Since the two had dealt with a total of sixteen, which was the number they'd told the two about, Doranbolt sighed once more. But this time he also had a smile on his face.

"Thank god… I trust these men with my life, but I don't think we'd have been able to handle more than two of them if we had to join you like the council wanted."

"Yeah well you can report whatever you want to the council. But take us home please?"

Natsu commented, eager to get back to Magnolia.

"Oh, you must be tired after all of this. Let's get you two back to Magnolia then."

Doranbolt returned, when he realized that the two slayers had been gone for almost 20 hours while dealing with the Wyverns.

**Cana's Day**

When Michiko finally woke up, Cana got her breakfast, and dressed the little girl up in her lavender shirt that said 'Snuggle me' and the pair of pants that they'd gotten her back before the returned to Magnolia. Natsu's signature scarf was wrapped around her as a blanket, just because it was keeping her calm.

"Let's wait for daddy at the guild okay?"

Cana told the little girl with a smile as she lowered her into the baby sling that she had put on while the little girl pulled on her fingers playfully. Then she grabbed the diaper bag, and they were ready.

Walking into the guild she was greeted by the sight of only a few people. Which wasn't completely strange since it was still a little early. But Mira, Erza, and the master were there at least.

"Morning."

Cana said as she joined the trio at the bar. She resisted the urge to order some alcohol, and just sat there to talk with them. Erza and Mira both echoed her greeting, with the white haired woman making silly faces for Michiko in order to get her to laugh.

"Good morning Cana."

Makarov said, as he turned to face her. While it was still his usual tone, she could tell there was something he wanted to say to her, so she faced him as well.

"I've been thinking about this for a while, and I couldn't really decide on what to do about it until after you left yesterday."

Cana raised an eyebrow at that.

"Okay… What's going on?"

"You and Natsu were both going to be selected to participate in the S-class trials. But now that you've got Michiko to take care of, I can't in good conscious have you two participate."

"I figured something like that would be the case. Honestly though, I'm fine with that. I mean I've already taken part in the trials a few times, yet I never passed. I might not be cut out for being an S-class. If that's the case I'd rather focus on taking care of Michiko."

Mira and Erza were listening in despite not being part of the conversation, and they both went wide eyed at Cana's response. Even though they were known as the two strongest women in Fairy Tail, they both knew that Cana was every bit as much their equal. She just lacked the confidence to prove it. They wanted to say something to her about it, but Makarov beat them to it.

"Look at me Cana."

When she turned her focus to his face, the guild master made eye contact and held it as he began to speak.

"You are just as capable as any of our S-class. If I'm being honest with you, the only reason you aren't S-class already is the fact that the council put a limit on us. I'm only allowed to promote one wizard a year to S-class. Sure you weren't the one promoted each time you tried, but that doesn't mean you failed the trials. So have some more confidence in yourself."

Even though she wanted to believe him, her insecurity were popping up in her mind and whispering things like '_you still aren't worthy' _and '_it still isn't enough_'. Shaking her head to clear her mind, Cana looked down at Michiko and smiled. The little girl was babbling away as if she was trying to be part of the conversation too.

"I'm fine with the way things are right now master. Don't go out of your way to do something special for me."

Cana told the guild master. The look on her face was all the proof he needed to believe that she was perfectly okay with missing out on the chance to become S-class. So with a sigh he finally responded.

"Alright. I understand."

But Erza had to cut in at this point, curios as to how the master planned to handle Natsu.

"What about Natsu master? He'll stay behind to help raise Michiko, but he'll be frustrated at missing out on his chance to become S-class."

"He and Gajeel are out on a request from the council, one that they declared to equal to an S-class job. So I decided that handling the situation with the Wyverns is his trial. When they get back I will promote the two of them to S-class after hearing their report."

None of them could argue against the idea as it made complete sense to them. If Natsu and Gajeel could complete an S-class job then they were certainly ready to be S-class. After that the conversation died down and they lounged about the guild hall, waiting for their two slayers to return.

**Hours Later**

"I don't know how much longer I can stay. It's getting close to Michiko's bed time after all."

Cana told the guild master with a small frown. He could tell she wanted to be there when Natsu returned, and it made him smile. '_It truly is amusing how the two have changed since becoming parents'_ Makarov thought as he nodded at her words.

They had no way of knowing just how long of a job it was, since the request from the council was an emergency. So he wasn't really surprised to see that it had almost been a full twenty four hours since the two Dragon Slayers left.

"Don't worry about it. If those two brats return while you're at home I'll just send him straight to you."

Makarov went to say. But he only got halfway through, when three bodies appeared in the middle of the guild hall.

Taking their hands off of Doranbolt's shoulders Natsu and Gajeel both stepped away from the council worker.

"We're back!"

Natsu called out happily. At first no one said anything. The few people that were still at the guild instead just looked over the two, with most of them confused as to why the only evidence they'd been fighting was the ruined clothing. But Cana shook her head knowing they'd hear the full story later. So instead because Mira was holding Michiko, she ran to her boyfriend, throwing her arms around him as she kissed him deeply.

"Welcome back."

* * *

S.R: This was fun. Anyway I'll see you guys next time!


	15. Chapter 15

S.R: There's a short time skip here at the start of the chapter. Mostly because I want to keep the plot moving. Just a heads up. Oh, and another heads up. Because of how I'm changing the story, and certain ideas, Wendy isn't going to be part of the trials. She'll be staying back at Fairy Tail with Nastu, Cana, and Mira.

* * *

A week and a half had passed since Natsu and Gajeel returned from the emergency job the master had sent them on. After Natsu and Gajeel gave their report to the guild master about the mission, he ordered them to go home and rest. Natsu gladly followed that order and after taking Cana and Michiko home he hadn't been back to the guild since. Makarov explained to the guild his reasoning behind sending the two, and the reward he was giving the two slayers for completing the job, which led to Gray being pissed he wasn't allowed to go.

"I can't believe flame-brain made S-class first."

He had muttered, though it wasn't spiteful or anything harsh. Just disappointment at the fact he hadn't reached that goal first. That's not to say he didn't approve or agree with the idea though. After all as Natsu's best friend he knew the pink haired man well enough to know that he would reluctantly agree to miss out on the trials given his situation. So using the mission as an alternative was reasonable. Which is why the dark haired man would only mumble to himself about the situation, rather than complain out loud.

Speaking of Gray, he was sitting at the bar nursing his drink when the guild doors opened. Since it had been a while everyone was glad to see Natsu back in action as he and Cana walked into the guild hand in hand. This time Natsu was the one carrying Michiko. A couple people called out in greeting, as Natsu and Cana were swept up by the guilds cheery mood.

"So what did I miss?"

Natsu commented when he and Cana sat down at the bar to talk with Mira. They had positioned themselves at the end of the counter, with Cana on the end, and Natsu's seat being beside Gray's.

"Aside from the announcements on who is participating in the S-class trials this year? Not much ash for brains."

Gray replied with a smirk.

"Ah shut it popsicle, I didn't ask you."

Natsu retorted with a similar look. Cana and Mira both rolled their eyes, while muttering about how 'some things never change'.

"Well like Gray said, Master announced who was taking the S-class trials this year."

Mira told Cana, knowing Natsu was paying attention despite the fact he and Gray were arguing.

"Who gets to take part this time?"

"Gray, Elfman, Freed, Juvia, and Levy. If I remember right, Gray partnered up with Loke, Elfman partnered with Evergreen, Freed and Bickslow are a team, Juvia asked Lisanna to be her partner, and Levy teamed up with Lucy."

Out of the people Mira had told her were taking part, Cana felt that Gray or Freed would be the one to get promoted to S-class. She didn't voice her opinions however as Mira continued to speak.

"I had to teach Gajeel about what he's supposed to do as part of the trials, So it's going to be pretty tough this year."

"Why didn't Erza explain it to him. I know she helped the master with the planning this year."

Cana asked as Natsu finally stopped arguing with Gray, and began to play with his daughter so she wouldn't 'catch the strippers bad habits'.

"Because I asked the master to have Gajeel take my place. If you recall, ever since the incident with Lisanna's 'death', my role in the trials has been minimal. But thanks to all the stuff that happened when we were dealing with Phantom Lord, I can get back to being an active mage."

"Right. But what does that have to do with this?"

Still not seeing what Mira was trying to say, Cana asked for clarification.

"I had a mental block preventing me from using my **Take Over** magic. It's gone so I can be an active mage again. But that block was there for so long that I'm too out of practice with it. I wouldn't be able to help test everyone, so I asked the master if I could stay back this time and get used to using my magic again."

Cana couldn't help but feel there was another reason, though she also felt that the reason was obvious given the fact that Mira's face lit up with joy any time she was around Michiko.

"And the fact that Natsu and I are bringing Michiko around to the guild is a nice little plus isn't it."

Cana replied with a chuckle. Mira knew she'd been caught and sighed with a small smile.

"I can't help it! She's just so cute!"

The brunette couldn't help but smile. Her best friend had been a huge help while Natsu was out on the emergency quest with Gajeel. Plus she was one of the few people in the guild that Michiko let hold her without fussing. One of the reasons she and Natsu hadn't been back to the guild since her pink haired boyfriend and Gajeel got back, was because they'd been discussing plans for the future.

"Yeah. My little dragon is the cutest."

Natsu commented, which reminded Mira of the fact his sense of hearing was exceptional. He had been listening the entire time despite not paying any direct attention to her.

"Should we tell her what we decided Natsu?"

Cana asked as she turned to the side a pulled a bottle out of the diaper bag, so she could start making Michiko's lunch.

"It wouldn't hurt."

He responded before looking directly at Mira. The sudden change in his attitude make her curious. Gray who had been sitting by with a small smile on his face as he watched his best friend playing with the little girl also looked on intently.

"Cana and I had been talking about it and… We decided that we want you to be Michiko's godmother Mira."

The few people that weren't at the bar but were sitting close enough to listen in, all went wide eyed when they heard Natsu's statement. It helped that he was pretty loud with saying it. But Mira smiled as tears sprang to her eyes.

"I would be honored to be her godmother!"

She commented, lunging across the bar to hug both of the little girls adoptive parents as she cried tears of joy. Since things had reached a lull in the guild, her words echoed a bit, and everyone in the guild hall heard her accept to be Michiko's godmother.

The older generation all had smiles on their faces, happy to see that Natsu and Cana had the sense to pick out a god parent for the little girl. Not that they were worried anything would happen to the two, but because there are times where a mage could be out on a job for months at a time, as Natsu was known to do before creating Team Natsu. So naming a god parent that could be around to help take care of Michiko was a very smart thing to do.

At this time Makarov came down the stairs from the second floor having finished his paperwork. He wasn't surprised to see the two, despite the fact they hadn't been back to the guild since Natsu's return. After all he made sure that Natsu knew they had an appointment to head to.

When Macao whispered to him why Mira was hugging the two so tightly and crying happily, the older man couldn't help but be proud of the bonds his guild fostered.

"Mira I know you want to celebrate a bit more, but could you let Natsu go? He and I have an appointment to keep."

The white haired barmaid didn't responded, though she loosened her hold enough for Natsu to get out of her grip. He smiled at Michiko who was still in his arms, before handing his daughter to Cana.

"Lead the way gramps."

"Wait where are you two going?"

Gray asked as he finally recovered from the shock of Natsu's statement about Mira being Michiko's godmother.

"I've got a few gems from a job a couple years ago. When Cana and I agreed to raise Michiko, I asked gramps to help me find someone that could appraise them. We're off to do that now."

Natsu responded over his shoulder as he and the short man left the guild.

"You know. I really am proud of you brat. You've really stepped up to be Michiko's father."

Makarov said as he lead Natsu down the street.

"Of course. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't take this seriously. And when I find Igneel again, he wouldn't have been too happy with me either if I didn't do the job right."

"You know, I felt the same, back when my wife gave birth to Ivan… As his father the only thing that mattered was that I gave my all to raise him properly."

Natsu snorted, having noticed that the short elder's attitude was worsening as he thought about his son. He vaguely recalled Ivan. It was sometime into his fifth month as part of the guild when gramps had to excommunicate his son from the guild. But he didn't want to think about the past, nor did he want the guild master to lose his cheery mood. So instead he chose to distract him.

"Gramps, does your friend know how to cut diamonds too?"

"I think so. Why do you ask?"

"Well…. Now that I've realized my feelings for her, I want to prepare for the future. In dragon culture it's pretty simple, but Cana isn't a dragon slayer. So I don't know if she'd be happy that way."

He mumbled as a blush came to his face. It was the blush that gave away his idea to Makarov.

"You want my friend to cut one of your diamonds for a ring don't you."

Natsu just nodded wordlessly.

"Are you going to collect the materials and make the ring yourself, or are you just going to hire someone to make it?"

"I was planning to ask Gajeel to help me with it."

Natsu responded in a quiet and embarrassed tone. Makarov just chuckled as he thought to himself '_They act like they don't get along but Natsu and Gajeel will always have each other's back.' _

"Have you decided on how you're going to propose?"

"Not completely…. All I know right now is that I'll do it after you guys come back from the trials. Because I want to tell everyone in the guild the good news at the same time."

Natsu responded not even thinking about the fact Cana could say no. But Makarov just chuckled to himself, already aware that Cana saying no wasn't even a possibility.

"I wish Gildarts would get back here soon. We can't push the trials back, in order to wait for him since the council's been harping on me about giving them the results before the New Year."

Makarov commented without really meaning to.

"You're not the only one that wants him to hurry up."

Natsu commented. He and Cana both wanted the **Crash** mage to return. Since she likely wouldn't be able to take part in the S-class trials until Michiko was old enough to be away from the two of them for a while, Natsu convinced Cana to muster up all of her courage and tell Gildarts about the fact she is his daughter.

But fate has ways of making desires and plans change entirely or even fall apart completely.

**The First Day of the S-Class Trials**

A couple days had passed since Natsu and Makarov went to have the diamonds appraised, yet Gildarts still hadn't returned to Magnolia. It was rather surprising, and a little concerning for the guild. Though the concern really only came from those that actually needed to talk to him.

"We can't afford to wait any longer. Gajeel, Erza, take the participants and their partners on ahead. I have to send word to the council that we're leaving now, and then I'll catch up."

Makarov said with a sigh as he moved to write a quick letter for the magic council. Erza and Gajeel nodded as they herded their charges out of the building and towards the train station so they could head to Hargeon.

Natsu and Cana both frowned, a little disappointed that Gildarts wasn't back like he was supposed to be. But then Cana remembered that Makarov had given Gildarts one rule that was never broken. Even if he wasn't back in time to help out with the S-class trials, the moment the **Crash** mage returned to Magnolia he'd have to stay, not only until the trials were over and they came back, but until after the New Year.

It was a tradition that the last week and a half of the year, every member of Fairy Tail stayed in Magnolia. The guild didn't shut down entirely but only jobs in Magnolia were offered. Since it was basically the holidays, this was done so that everyone could be home for the holidays.

Yet luck was not on their side, as the warning bell, signaling Gildarts' return to the town began to sound the moment Makarov finished writing.

"Jet, run to the mayor and tell him to turn off the alarm. Then drop this letter off over at the Rune Knights post for me."

The guild master commented with a sigh as he began to make his way towards where he could feel the guilds ace approaching. Cana and Natsu stood up to follow, wanting to talk with Gildarts but the short man shook his head at them.

"I know you want to talk to Gildarts, but we're really behind schedule so he and I need to catch up with the others fast. Besides it's only going to be a few days till we're back."

"Just make sure he knows we want to talk to him when you get back then."

Natsu replied.

"Of course. Oh and Natsu. You and Mira are in charge."

Makarov commented over his shoulder. Most of the guild shook their heads at that. Natsu being in charge was something none of them would have considered at the beginning of the year. But here they were, Natsu was an S-class wizard and trusted to keep things from getting too chaotic. Granted they all knew it was really Mira that was in charge, and that Natsu wouldn't do anything with out her agreement.

"Alright gramps. We'll see you later then."

Natsu shouted after the guild master, as he and Cana sat back down. Michiko began to babble to Natsu since he was the one holding her. With his daughter trying to get his attention Natsu chuckled, while his eyes focused on her.

She was making the most adorable attempt to communicate with him, and waving her hands as if she were trying to tell a story. Even though he didn't understand her, Natsu could help but go.

"Oh really? What happened after that?"

The sound of his voice made the little girls eyes light up with joy as she began to giggle and babble even more energetically. The few people in the guild that were watching the father daughter duo, had smiles on their faces, as Natsu once again proved to them that he could be a great father.

Cana had a pleased smile on her face as she watched them. Even though she didn't say anything, everyone that looked at her face could tell what she was thinking. Most of the guild agreed with her on the idea too. Natsu really was amazing with kids.

Eventually though it came to be Michiko's lunch time, so Natsu handed his daughter over to Cana who already had her bottle made. He was intending to sit and make small talk with his girlfriend, but then an idea hit him. Granted this idea only came about because Wendy was sitting fairly close to him and Cana.

The young blue haired girl was sighing in boredom, but just by looking at her, Natsu knew there was more to it. Yes she was bored since they couldn't really take any jobs, not with the tradition of staying in town for the holidays. But he could tell she felt a little lonely to be left out of the group going to Tenrou Island for the S-class trials. Which was understandable. Natsu and Mira were the only two people she really got to interact with that were still in town.

She was still getting used to the guild and all of it's antics, so of course she'd feel a bit lonely without everyone she was used to being around. Granted that was mostly Natsu's fault anyway since he brought her along on a few jobs with Team Natsu rather than let her get used to the others in the guild.

Making eye contact with Cana, Natsu subtly tilted his head towards the young girl sitting at the table next to them. When Cana realized what he was thinking she smiled and nodded. Smiling back, Natsu stood up and approached Wendy who was sitting beside a napping Carla.

"Hey Wendy come with me for a bit?"

"Sure Natsu."

Since it wasn't the first time the two of them had gone off on their own, even without their ever present companions of Happy and Carla, the guild didn't even flinch. Most of them had already guessed that Natsu was helping Wendy with her training at this point, so they all felt he was going to take advantage of the free time to help her grow even more.

Leading the younger Dragon Slayer out the back door, and towards their normal training spot Natsu couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed she perked up. '_She might not like fighting as much as Gajeel and I do, but Wendy's still got the instinct to let loose and have fun.'_

"What's so funny Natsu?"

"Nothing Wendy. Just remembering something."

He responded, not wanting to embarrass her.

"Okay, so what are we doing this time?"

She questioned eagerly. Natsu could tell that part of the reason she was so happy with his help in training, was because she also enjoyed his company. So he decided to match her enthusiasm.

"Well until they get back from the trials I was thinking you and I could start working on the Secret Arts."

A big grin was on his face as she jumped in happiness.

"You think I'm finally ready for the Secret Arts!?"

"Before we start there are a few things I need to tell you. Gramps already knows about them, as does Gajeel. As a Dragon Slayer you have the right to know as well."

Natsu told her with a serious tone. It put Wendy off guard for a moment. Shaking her head, she got serious as well, nodding for him to continue.

**A Few Days Later**

Every day, Natsu and Cana would bring Michiko to the guild while the others were away. The morning would be spent just sitting around relaxing, and playing with Michiko, but then in the afternoons while his daughter was napping, Natsu would take Wendy out to continue training. It had become a routine, one that was just finishing up as Natsu carried the tired blue haired girl back into the guild.

But strangely just after he got a few steps into the guild, the front doors opened up to reveal two men. Both of them were familiar to Natsu and a couple others in the guild as Rune Knights. But there was something off.

"Doranbolt what's wrong?"

Natsu questioned as he noticed the man shaking. The second of the two, Natsu knew to be named Lahar, but that was all he knew. Yet Lahar looked quite a bit paler than normal.

Instead of responding to Natsu's question tears came to Doranbolt's eyes. The answer to his concerns came from Lahar, who sounded as if he had swallowed something extremely bitter.

"Because the council wanted to know the results of your S-class trials immediately, they dispatched us on a ship to await the climax of the trials..."

All the small talk going on in the guild stopped as every member present turned their heads towards the two Rune Knights. The tears in Doranbolt's eyes started falling at this point, and Lahar struggled to continue with his explanation.

"Just as we began to approach the island an immensely loud roar caused even the ocean itself to quiver in fear. Our ship was almost capsized as a massive beast flew overhead aimed directly for Tenrou Island."

At this point, rather than keep talking he pulled out a recording lacrima and handed it to Natsu. Since he seemed to be unable to continue Natsu called for Mira to have the guilds video lacrima play the recording.

Despite the shaky nature of the footage, which they all attributed as proof of Lahar's claims about their boat almost capsizing, they watched as a massive black monster approached Tenrou Island. Even from the distance they were recording from it was able to pick up the sound of a dark and guttural voice that sent shivers down all of their spines.

"_**That pesky fly thinks he can escape me? Think again you gnat! I'll obliterate you and this entire island!**_"

Natsu was the only one in the room able to identify the monstrous being, yet even then it was only thanks Laveatil, who told him about Acnologia. '_Who is he talking about though?_' The pink haired man wondered as he watched the video with baited breath.

The black beast unleashed a roar that made even Natsu's larges **Fire Dragon's Roar** look like a tiny spurt, and it made everyone's jaw drop. The attack collided with Tenrou island, and tore threw the space the island occupied. Several guild members cried out, heartbroken by what they just saw. Mira even collapsed to the floor, devastated as both Elfman and Lisanna who she had only recently been reunited with were gone.

Even though she had worn herself out, and was still on Natsu's back, she caught the same brief flash of light that Natsu had, just before the attack made contact with Tenrou island. They shared a look, just to make sure that neither of them were imagining it.

"Hold on a minute. Does the video lacrima have the ability to slow down?"

Natsu questioned, his voice bringing attention to the duo as they approached the video lacrima themselves. Mira was too far gone in her grief to pay attention. Cana was almost as bad, since hers was a mix of grief, and guilt over the fact that she hadn't told Gildarts that he was her father. Yet with Michiko in her lap, she felt that it wasn't the time for an emotional breakdown, instead focusing on her daughter. She was still calm enough to hear Natsu and pay attention like most of the guild as they all latched on to Natsu's voice, the surety he had in his tone giving them hope that their friends and family were still alive.

Jet, as the person who knew the most about the specific video lacrima they had answered Natsu's question.

"Yeah. This one has the ability to slow down to frame by frame. It can also zoom in, why. Did you see something?"

Natsu didn't answer, and instead began to fiddle with the controls. A few seconds passed before the guild watched the attack hit the island once more. But it was zoomed in enough for everyone in the room to catch the shimmer of light that Natsu and Wendy both saw. A faint, yet bright gold Fairy Tail symbol had appeared in the air, as if acting as a barrier just before the island was destroyed.

Lahar and Doranbolt were both shocked to see it.

"Does anyone know what that could be?"

Droy asked as feelings of hope started swelling up inside of him. For a moment no one said anything as they all thought about it. The only sounds being the concerned babble coming from Michiko. She was very attentive to her surroundings, as it wasn't until Droy spoke up that she began making sounds again. Cana smiled at her little girl, though her mind was elsewhere. But then a thought hit her.

"Wait. We all know about masters **Fairy Law**. He said it was one of the guilds 'Three Great Fairy magic'. Maybe this is one of the other two?"

"It could be, but then, what does it do?"

Natsu responded.

"Hey Lahar, Doranbolt. Sit down for a bit and recover. I know you rushed here to tell us, probably after reporting to the council. So take a bit to regain yourselves. I'm going to the guild library to look up more info about this."

He called to the two Rune Knights who were standing there still in shock after having noticed what Natsu pointed out. A couple guild members decided to follow him into the guild's library, thinking that more people looking for the information would make it take less time.

Cana remained in her seat with Michiko in her lap however. But she was smiling fondly towards Natsu, who was already entering the side room that was Fairy Tail's library.

"Your daddy, is a great man."

She told her daughter. Granted the brunette knew that the little girl in her lap had no way of understanding her or the reasons she had to call Natsu a great man, but she felt that Michiko instinctively understood. Macao and Wakaba who were sitting nearby also her her statement and they had to agree. Only Natsu could inspired hope in them, hope that their family wasn't gone.

* * *

S.R: I wonder how many of you can predict the twists that I have in mind. If you correctly guess my plans, I'll award 100 points to Ravenclaw (because I can). Anyway I'll see you guys next time.


	16. Chapter 16

S.R: Time for a bit of fun. Oh, and for everyone claiming Natsu for Guild Master…. Nope.

* * *

Since Natsu wasn't the only one looking, it didn't take long for the group searching the library to find a special book. Granted the reason it was special is that it was left behind by the first master Mavis Vermilion. The problem they encountered however was that the book had a powerful magic seal.

"I don't have the magic to break it."

Warren Rocko, the guilds resident **Telepathy** mage commented after he tried to undo the seal. Natsu just held his hand out. A few members of the guild backed away, worried he might try to brute force it and accidentally burn up his surroundings. But instead Natsu just focused heavily, slowly feeding his magic into it. To their surprise there was an audible click like sound when he stopped using his magic.

Warren just stared at Natsu dumbfounded.

"What, gramps taught me how to do this. Apparently seals made by a **Fire** mage are extraordinarily hard to break, so he had me make the seals on some of the crap in his office."

Since he gave them a valid reason, the group that had followed him into the office just shrugged. With that out of the way Natsu opened up the dusty old light green book that had been handed to him. His eyes went wide before he began to read out loud for them all to hear.

"To any who may break the seal on this book and read it, I say this is the magic journal of Mavis Vermilion, founding member and first guild master of Fairy Tail."

"Does that mean is has the answers we're looking for?"

Max Alors, the guilds shop manager spoke up. Natsu ignored him and kept reading.

"Inside this book you will find descriptions of what the spells I have created are capable of. However, the details of how to preform said spells are not inside this journal. This is not a training manual, nor an instruction booklet. These spells are far too unique and powerful for me to feel comfortable recording the instructions for. Even if this journal managed to get sealed away somewhere, I wouldn't feel safe leave those details in the open."

Since it seemed to be what they were looking for Natsu skimmed through the pages, till he found something that seemed to explain what they had seen.

"Fairy Sphere. This spell is the ultimate defense, at least as far as I have found. Using the bonds grown between members of my guild as a source of power, I managed to create a massive sphere as a barrier. The unique thing about this barrier however is that everything within is protected from everything, even time itself. Basically this spell acts as a stasis chamber, transporting everything inside of the sphere into a pocket dimension where time does not flow."

"Holy shi-"

Max started to say as he listened to what the spell was capable of. But he was elbowed in the ribs by Warren. Just in time too as Natsu was glaring lightly at him even though Michiko wasn't in the room to hear. So the guilds **Sand** mage gulped before glossing over the word and continuing with what he was going to say.

"That's absurdly powerful magic!"

Everyone in the room just nodded, agreeing with that assessment.

"So they're still safe. But how long does **Fairy Sphere** last?"

Warren commented, drawing everyone's attention back to the actual mater at hand. Natsu shook his head.

"It doesn't specify. The only other details are that the amount of time the spell lasts for depends on the amount of magic used to power it… But if it can convert even our bonds into magic power, then it could be a long time. After all there isn't anything that can overcome Fairy Tail when we all agree on something."

Max and Warren both nodded following Natsu's words. The others weren't as sure, but they didn't want to voice their opinion and risk upsetting them. Mostly because even though they found proof that it was possible for their friends to have survived, they didn't know how it would have happened. After all the book in Natsu's hands didn't explain how to cast **Fairy Sphere**. So who could have known how to cast it?

"What do we do now though?"

Warren asked as he realized the situation.

"You guys think you could help Cana with calming Mira down?"

Natsu asked as he looked right at Max and Warren. Since Mira was basically out of it at the moment he was the only S-class available so he had to take charge.

"We can try at least."

They responded together. Natsu nodded before turning towards the door where Jet was standing.

"Jet, I need you to get master Bob from Blue Pegasus and master Goldmine from Quatro Cerberus. Since they used to be members of Fairy Tail it's only right that they know what's going on. Plus I have a feeling we'll need their help."

The **High Speed** mage nodded before vanishing from sight with the aid of his magic.

"I'll be back in a bit."

Natsu told the rest of the group that was in the library as he moved to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

Max asked, concerned about what Natsu might be up to.

"I'm going to see the Magic Council. We can't afford not to deal with them right now."

Natsu answered, his words reminding them that Fairy Tail tended to aggravate the council a bit too much. Unless Natsu was very careful the council could even use this incident to disband the guild.

No one responded to him as they all filed out of the library. Natsu walked right up to Cana and Michiko with a small smile.

"Can I leave Mira to you and the rest of the guild?"

Not sure what was going on, Cana slowly nodded her head.

"Good. I'm going to go prevent the council from taking advantage of the situation. I don't know how long it'll take me. But I'll let Max and Warren explain what we just learned."

The pink haired man told her. Since it was a good idea she just nodded, understanding that Natsu wasn't going to let things get any worse for the guild. Happy that she understood Natsu gave her a quick kiss before crouching to be eye to eye with Michiko.

"You help your mommy cheer up aunt Mira okay?"

With that said he kissed Michiko's forehead. The little onyx eyed girl just giggled at him before grabbing onto his check. She tried to pull him closer, so Natsu obliged her and moved his face down for her. He felt a wetness on his check and chuckled as he realized she was trying to give him a kiss to.

Ruffling her hair he smiled before taking a step back and turned towards Lahar and Doranbolt.

"Considering the situation can I ask you two help me get a meeting with the council?"

Wordlessly the two nodded as they stood up from the seats they had taken after Natsu told them to recover. Despite the fact they knew he was capable, they were still surprised to see just how well Natsu was handling the situation. Almost as much as they were when Natsu pointed out the faint barrier appearing in the recording they had of Tenrou island being destroyed.

"They're already expecting someone to be sent as a representative. We'll escort you to the meeting room though."

Lahar managed to say. Still not saying anything Doranbolt just nodded his head, before placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder, and the other hand on Lahar's. With that he activated his **Teleportation** magic, and the three of them appeared just in front of the building known as Era.

"If you would follow me."

Lahar lead the way. Moments later the three of them were entering a rather large room. There was a large U shaped table that faced them and the doors they entered through. On the other side sat several figures. Only a few of which were familiar to Natsu from the last time he had met the council, but he pushed the thought to the side.

"We've been expecting you."

A voice spoke up. Natsu was quick to zero in on who it was that spoke, and he had to refrain from letting out a relieved sigh when he saw it was gramps friend.

"Considering the circumstances I figured a meeting was better sooner rather than later."

A few of the council members snickered, thinking that Natsu was chosen by the guild to represent them thanks to his power rather than believe his statement. But he ignored them, knowing that they wouldn't know the truth of the matter anyway.

"Yes that is true. With so many of your key members gone, there are very few choices available and they all require our involvement."

Spoke up the man who was directly in the middle of the U shaped table. Considering his position and the fact the others went silent when he spoke, Natsu realized that was the Chairman of the council.

"I don't want to be rude, but they aren't gone. At least not like you are thinking."

Natsu cut in, interrupting the speech that was about to come from the chairman.

Most of the council rolled their eyes, believing Natsu to be an idiot who couldn't understand what was going on. Yajima, and the council chairman however went wide eyed. Unlike the other members of the council they knew just how powerful Natsu's senses were. So they understood there was a chance he noticed something they couldn't.

"When Lahar showed us the recording, I noticed a very faint flash of light just before the island was destroyed. Our video lacrima has the ability to go frame by frame, and to zoom in. So using those two settings I managed to get a clear image of the flash that I saw."

Here Natsu turned to Lahar and gestured for him to show the council what he had discovered. When the image of a barrier with the Fairy Tail symbol appeared before the council, several let out surprised gasps.

"We took some time to look into what that could have been, and after searching the guilds library this book was found."

Natsu explained as he held up the magic journal. He opened it to the page that held the description of **Fairy Sphere** and read it out loud for the council. At that point everyone in the room was staring wide eyed at Natsu and the journal in his hands.

"Something that absurd!"

"Is that even possible?!"

"What kind of power would that take?!"

Several people shouted out. But then the chairman tapped his staff on the floor, his magic amplifying the sound.

"Enough."

With that the room went silent. Most of the council used the silence to help regain their train of thought. A moment later he began to speak.

"Even if this is true, we do not have even an estimate on how long it would take for them to return. A spell with those abilities is just so absurdly powerful, that it could theoretically take centuries before it runs out of power."

"The official stance of the Magic Council on this matter isn't going to change, not unless they return. As far as we are concerned they are dead until they can stand before us to prove otherwise."

Natsu frowned, but he had expected it so he didn't try to argue.

"That means, even if you all believe they will return someday, that Fairy Tail must hold some kind of memorial for them."

"What kind of memorial?"

Natsu asked, a bit shocked that the council would suggest such a thing.

"Whatever you all chose."

It was then that Natsu realized why only a few familiar faces were present. The council had changed. Instead of being a group that was bound and determined to disband Fairy Tail because they wouldn't be controlled, the council was now a group that wouldn't turn their back on the guild just because they were a thorn in it's side.

He felt a bit better knowing that the council wasn't going to just abandon them or force Fairy Tail to disband now that they didn't have the power to stand against the council.

"I know this may be a sudden shift topic wise, but I have to ask what Fairy Tail's plans are going forward."

"We haven't discussed anything like that just yet. But I will be damned if I let the guild fall apart because of this."

Yajima nodded his head having expected Natsu to stand strong for the guild. He was so used to Makarov's complaining about the pink haired man, that he felt Natsu's personality wouldn't allow him to stand aside and left Fairy Tail fall.

"Does that mean you will step up to be the guild master?"

"Me? Guild master? I couldn't handle that responsibility. Plus I'd probably get frustrated and burn all of the paperwork."

Yajima couldn't help but laugh at Natsu's response to his question.

"I can't answer anything else about the guild right now. But if you'll give us a few days to get a proper response ready, we'll show you why Fairy Tail is number one."

"Very well. You may return to your guild Natsu Dragneel."

The chairman spoke, ending the conversation. Since he was thankful they didn't try and force Fairy Tail to disband, Natsu was polite and bowed to them before leaving the room. Lahar and Doranbolt also left, knowing that they weren't supposed to hear the council's conversation.

"That boy is a fool."

"Quite the fool if he believes Fairy Tail can withstand this."

Two of the new members commented.

"He's always been a fool."

Another spoke up.

But Yajima couldn't let the talk continue that way.

"Natsu may have once been a fool, but he can no longer be called as such. Especially after the last talk I had with Makarov."

"Oh? I had no idea you were close with the 6th wizard saint and his guild."

the woman to his right spoke up.

"I left Fairy Tail in order to join the Magic Council years ago. But that's not germane to this discussion."

A few other members of the council just looked at the short old man and sighed.

"Yajima is right you know. I haven't yet revealed it to the rest of the council, but after that emergency request we made to Fairy Tail for their help in dealing with the Wyverns, Makarov promoted Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox to S-class."

The council Chairman told the group, shocking most of them, as they knew one of the reasons Natsu was never made S-class before was because of his carefree attitude.

"Yes, well suffice it to say Natsu Dragneel has had to grow up quite a bit in these last couple months."

Yajima continued, having already known about Natsu's promotion. The chairman just nodded his head agreeing with his fellow council member.

**Meanwhile**

Mira was still inconsolable even after Max told the rest of the guild about **Fairy Sphere**. Not even Michiko babbling at her was enough to draw Mira from her grief. Which was very upsetting for the little girl, who just wanted to hear laughter from everyone like she was used to.

Cana was at her wits end with the situation. Mira wouldn't listen to anyone, and Michiko was already pouting heavily and on the cusp of flat out wailing because she couldn't get her way. Wendy despite being tired from training with Natsu for most of the afternoon was trying to be helpful, but even she didn't have much luck in keeping things together. Finally Cana sighed, having realized she didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Wendy can you hold Michiko for a moment?"

"Sure."

The young blue haired girl agreed, gently taking Michiko from the older brunette's outstretched arms. She instantly began a rocking motion, hoping to soothe the baby and prevent her from outright crying.

"I really hate to do this Mira, but we can't get through to you like this."

Cana mumbled as she searched through her deck of cards for a specific one. When she found it, a small frown came to her face as she poured a bit of magic into it.

"**Sleep Card**"

Focusing the effect of the card onto Mira, Cana forced the white haired woman to fall asleep. Luckily she was close enough to catch the slumped figure of Mira's body as she passed out. Max and Warren who both had been trying to help Cana calm Mira down stepped forward to take the barmaid from her.

"We'll get her up to the infirmary."

Warren offered as they gently carried Mira towards the second floor where the infirmary was.

"Hey Cana?"

"Yes Wendy?"

Hoping she didn't sound as tired as she felt, Cana turned back towards the young Dragon Slayer and her daughter.

"We're going to be okay right?"

Wendy asked, concerned about how things looked. Even if their friends weren't gone, they didn't know how long it would be for them to return. Plus Wendy had been around long enough to hear Makarov complaining about the magic council constantly being on his case. Not to mention how the public would react when they found out, because everyone from Fairy Tail understood that the council would have to make an announcement about it.

The more Wendy thought about it, the more it seemed like Fairy Tail was going to fall apart under the stress. It was enough to make her cry.

When Cana noticed the tears coming to Wendy's eyes, she quickly wrapped her arms around the younger female.

"It'll be okay Wendy. Natsu won't let us down."

"ga-ba-daba-da"

Michiko echoed, trying to be part of the conversation too. It was enough to make both of them smile and let out soft giggles. Since Wendy didn't seem like she was going to break, Cana pulled away from the Dragon Slayer, and began to play with Michiko.

At that point the doors to the guild opened up to reveal Jet who was accompanied by two others. Wendy didn't know them, but Cana recognized them.

"Jet, why'd you bring master Bob and master Goldmine?"

"Natsu said they had a right to know what was going on since they used to be part of Fairy Tail. Speaking of Natsu, where is he?"

The man replied before looking around the room for Natsu. Cana opened her mouth to respond when Natsu and Doranbolt appeared in the middle of the room.

"Thanks for bringing me back Doranbolt."

"No problem Natsu."

With that Doranbolt left. Natsu wanted to sit down and relax with Cana but he noticed the two men that were standing beside Jet.

"Nice job jet."

Rather than the **High Speed** mage it was Goldmine who responded.

"What's going on Natsu?"

"Right. It's rather serious news, so why don't we use the masters office to talk."

Hours later the three exited Makarov's office with tired but determined looks on their faces.

"I'll send Ichiya and the Trimens out with Christina in the morning to look around and see if they can't pick up anything unusual."

"There isn't much I can offer ya, well besides sending some of our requests your way to help keep you supplied with jobs."

"That should be more than enough. Thank you, both of you."

Natsu told the two as he plopped down besides Cana. Michiko was yawning, but still awake as she sat in Cana's lap playing with Wendy who had made it her job to keep Michiko happy while everything was still chaotic.

"I know you're worried, but take care of yourself okay Natsu?"

"I will master Bob. I will."

Natsu responded as Cana leaned into him. If it weren't for the fact that Natsu looked worn out, and Cana looked like she'd been on an emotional roller-coaster it would have been a really cute scene.

As Bob and Goldmine left, they both sighed.

"They'll endure. Natsu will make sure of it."

"Natsu won't settle for just enduring it. He'll make sure they stay at the top no matter what."

Bob said, having noticed Natsu's conviction long ago. He knew the pink haired man was someone that could literally be defined as 'The heart of Fairy Tail'.

Unknown to them no one left Fairy Tail that night. They were all too emotionally drained to even think about leaving the guild hall.

**The Next Morning**

After everyone but Mira woke up Max, Warren, Jet, and Droy all approached Natsu.

"So what did the council have to say?"

"As far as they are concerned, until such a time that they can stand in front of the council and provide proof otherwise, those that were on Tenrou island are considered dead."

Natsu told them. While it wasn't what they wanted to hear, it was something most of them were expecting. Especially since they couldn't truly prove that they were alive.

"Because of that, they are also expecting slash demanding that we have some kind of memorial for everyone that was on Tenrou island."

"We probably would be doing that anyway just help remind us that they're okay."

Warren muttered, which got an agreeing nod from Max and Natsu.

Jet on the other hand brought their attention back to the matter of the council.

"What's their stance on us right now?"

"We've got a few days to figure things out, then we have to inform them of our decisions."

"You mean they aren't going to be breathing down our neck or trying to disband us?"

"For right now, yeah."

Natsu responded with a sigh since he was still a little worried about how the council may act in the future. They may have played nice and respectful (somewhat) with him while he was there, but for all Natsu knew that was because they didn't want to upset him and risk being attacked.

"Well I'd think it's obvious that we're going to fight tooth and nail to keep Fairy Tail alive."

Droy stated.

"Yeah, but we have things to do in order for that to happen. With Mira still out of it I'm the only S-class right now. We've got to increase our power, to make up for the lack of the others."

"Not to mention someone has to take over for the master until he gets back."

Max commented. The five men all sighed in unison. It was going to be a lot of work to keep Fairy Tail from falling behind without everyone that was on Tenrou island.

Macao and Wakaba had been listening in as they ate breakfast, so when they walked up to join the discussion the duo didn't need anyone to fill them in.

"It should be obvious who takes over for Makarov while their gone."

"Yeah. Natsu's done great with taking charge so far, and he's got the power for it."

They commented, knowing the others would agree. After all they all saw the same thing. Natsu was the one to step up and take charge. Natsu was the one to cheer them up, and even before all this it was typically him that cheered up the guild when they were feeling down. He had the same charisma as Makarov, which meant they'd follow him just as easily as they did Makarov.

"No. I can't be the master. Until we can get Mira to snap out of it and listen I'm the only S-class. If anything I'll take Gildarts spot as the guild's ace."

Natsu commented, reminding them that his strength would be better suited doing jobs and bringing in money for the guild rather than dealing with the council.

"Natsu's right. Right now our guild master just needs to be someone that can handle the paperwork."

Cana commented as she finished preparing a bottle for when Michiko woke up. As she said that an idea came to Natsu's mind.

"The guild master still gets a portion of the guilds income right?"

"Yeah why?"

Macao responded. A wide grin came to Natsu's face as he told them about his idea. Somehow knowing it involved her, Cana shuddered when she saw his smile. But she ignored it in favor of getting ready to feed Michiko. Though that didn't stop her from going wide eyed like the rest at Natsu's words.

"Cana could probably handle the paperwork, not to mention she's pretty strong anyway. Why not have her take over as guild master?"

* * *

S.R: How's that for a twist? Anyway the next chapter will pick up right here, so Natsu can explain why he made the suggestion. Or at least explain a little better than he did right here. So I'll see you guys next time.


	17. Chapter 17

S.R: Well, here we are. Chapter 17, hot off the press!

Natsu: Shut up and get to the story already!

S.R: I will in a minute. I've gotta restate my disclaimer since it's been a while. **Ahem**

I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS (EXCEPT FOR THE PRECIOUS LITTLE CINNAMON ROLL OF A BABY THAT IS MICHIKO).

S.R: And now, back to you're regularly scheduled program.

* * *

**Last Time**

"No. I can't be the master. Until we can get Mira to snap out of it and listen I'm the only S-class. If anything I'll take Gildarts spot as the guild's ace."

Natsu commented, reminding them that his strength would be better suited doing jobs and bringing in money for the guild rather than dealing with the council.

"Natsu's right. Right now our guild master just needs to be someone that can handle the paperwork."

Cana commented as she finished preparing a bottle for when Michiko woke up. As she said that an idea came to Natsu's mind.

"The guild master still gets a portion of the guilds income right?"

"Yeah why?"

Macao responded. A wide grin came to Natsu's face as he told them about his idea. Somehow knowing it involved her, Cana shuddered when she saw his smile. But she ignored it in favor of getting ready to feed Michiko. Though that didn't stop her from going wide eyed like the rest at Natsu's words.

"Cana could probably handle the paperwork, not to mention she's pretty strong anyway. Why not have her take over as guild master?"

**This Time**

Everyone that heard Natsu's statement looked at him questioningly. Though it wasn't necessarily because they disagreed with him. They were just curious as to where the idea of Cana being guild master came from.

"Explain please."

The brunette in question asked as she narrowed her eyes at her pink haired boyfriend.

"Well, before you hop down my throat about springing this so suddenly let me explain my thoughts on the matter."

Natsu responded having caught on to the fact she didn't seem happy. Not that he could blame her since it was a surprise. Sighing Cana reigned herself in and gestured for Natsu to continue.

"Fairy Tail will need the money from the jobs to stay alive yes, but the guild master still gets a cut from them according to Macao, which is good. Because we were worried about making sure we'd have enough money to raise Michiko right? Well not so much now, but later on down the road at least. If you're guild master then we don't have that concern any longer.

Plus, it's true that you could probably handle the paperwork. I mean you'll probably want help, especially since we still have to take care of Michiko through all this, but she's almost old enough for us to be able to get a play pin or something for her. Then you wouldn't have to split your focus 50-50 between everything. And like I said, you're pretty strong, so if need be you could keep the guild in line."

No one could argue with Natsu's logic. Though a few of them wondered when he became smart enough to be able to even be logical with his reasoning. Only Cana and Macao being in the know on the fact that Makarov had been teaching Natsu since he and Cana adopted Michiko.

"I'm with Natsu on this one. It would be a better choice in the long run to have Cana as guild master rather than Natsu. Especially since he's right in saying we need him doing jobs to keep Fairy Tail from going under."

Wakaba commented after a moment. Macao nodded his head, as his partner in crime spoke.

"Let's put it to a vote then."

Warren replied, before using his **Telepathy** to ask everyone in the guild if they'd be okay with Cana as the guild master until everyone from Tenrou island returned. In the end it was a unanimous agreement, and Cana was named the 4th guild master.

"I don't know how well I'll do as guild master, but so long as you guys are there to help me when I need it I promise we won't fail."

She stated before Natsu pushed her towards the stage saying she needed to give a speech and rally everyone together. Cana tried to argue that it was time to feed Michiko her bottle since the little girl was waking up in her arms, but Natsu took his daughter from her with a grin saying 'I've got it'.

Feeling nervous she stepped to the microphone that was in the center of the stage. But after a few steadying breathes she spoke up.

"I… I know things might seem tough right now, and in the future there may be times where it's even rougher than now. But we will endure. I will never give up on any of you, just like I know you would never give up on me. We will stick together and stick up for each other just as we always have. This I promise you, not as guild master, but as another member of Fairy Tail. Our bonds might be tested by the disappearance of our friends, of our family, but so long as we believe in each other we will never fail. Fairy Tail can and will survive this. Because we have to be here to welcome them back one day."

At the end of her speech Cana had tears in her eyes, but she was standing confidently proudly displaying her hand to the guild. Her thumb out, and finger pointed to the sky, the symbol of Fairy Tail's greatness. Everyone was quick to follow her lead, their hands raised as well. Though in Natsu's case he only adjusted his grip on the bottle he was feeding Michiko with, so that anyone looking at that hand could see it. But no one cared, because they all knew he'd be holding his hand up just like them if it weren't for the fact he was making sure his daughter was eating.

"For Fairy Tail!"

She called, everyone echoing her cheer a second later. Michiko even spit out her bottle to raise a cheerful shout, something that made everyone that heard it smile even harder.

"Ga ba!"

They were all surprised to hear clapping from the doorway. Standing in front of the doors was Jura who had a smile on his face and was clapping loudly.

"I heard about what happened, and it brings me great joy to see you all staying strong."

The man spoke, with his tone telling them all he was being truthful.

"Not that we don't appreciate the visit but what brings you over Jura?"

Cana asked, as she realized it was her job as guild master to be the one to welcome their guest.

"Last night the council called the Wizard Saints together to explain what happened. After our meeting was over I decided to come by and see if I could offer any help."

"Actually I could use your help on something, but I'd rather it stay a surprise so we can talk about that after a bit."

Natsu commented, drawing confused looks from everyone in the guild even Cana. Knowing Natsu didn't like to ask for help Jura was shocked as well.

"Alright, we can discuss whatever it is when you're ready."

He nodded after a moment.

"Good, now come over here and meet my daughter!"

Natsu shouted which made several people laugh. He was being a proud and doting father to Michiko and the sight of it distracted them from the seriousness of the situation, which the few who realized it was done on purpose were thankful for.

"Wait you've got a child!?"

Jura was confused as he walked over.

"Oh yeah that's right that news hasn't been made public yet. Come sit down and let me explain."

Natsu said as he gestured with his head towards the open seat next to him. Since Natsu was handling their guest, and feeding Michiko, Cana sighed a bit disappointed she wouldn't have his help with the rest of things. But she pulled herself together and motioned for everyone to ignore them.

Motioning for everyone to come closer so she wouldn't have to use the microphone and disrupt Natsu's talk with Jura she began to speak.

"Now, I don't know if everyone heard this yet or not, but yesterday when Natsu went to talk with the council they declared their stance on our missing members. Until they can stand in front of the council and prove otherwise, the council considers them dead. Because it's a huge deal they also have to make it known to the public, so we have to have some kind of memorial."

Natsu and Jura tuned out the conversation as they talked about Michiko and all that had happened since they last saw each other.

"That's quite the life you've been leading since we teamed up to take on the Oracion Seis. But you seem to be enjoying it."

"Of course I am. After all, it's thanks to this little one here that I realized I'm head over heels in love with Cana."

Jura just smiled as he patted Natsu on the shoulder, glad to see that he was still the same cheerful guy.

"Since they aren't paying attention is now a good time to talk about what it is you want my help with?"

"kinda. Wendy should probably be present too, since I need to explain something to her and it's part of why I need your help."

"Ah."

Cana who while handling the topic of what to do as a memorial for those that were on Tenrou had still been keeping an eye on Natsu and Jura. So when they moved to stand up she figured they were going someplace quiet to talk about whatever it was Natsu wanted his help with. But her pink haired boyfriend made eye contact with her, subtly signaling for her to send Wendy with them.

Knowing she'd find out eventually she did as he wanted and sent the young Dragon Slayer to them. Though she asked Wendy to have Natsu put Michiko down in the infirmary for a nap since it was close to her morning nap time. Carla floated off after her best friend, ignoring the teasing looks that Wendy shot her when she realized the white cat was looking at the blue fuzzball on Natsu's head that was Happy.

"How about a mural of some sort. I mean Reedus is an amazing painter, so he could probably do a fantastic job with it."

Max suggested, drawing Cana's attention back to the talk of what kind of memorial to do.

"No offense to Reedus, but it wouldn't feel right just having one person involved with making it. I'd rather it be some kind of statute or something that we all worked on together."

Jet spoke up, though they all knew the real reason he didn't want to leave it to Reedus was so that when they returned, he would be able to tell Levy that he had worked on their memorial.

"If it's something we all are going to work on I'd rather it be something really big, that way we all feel like we contributed enough to it."

Another person commented, getting agreeing nods. Cana just rolled her eyes, knowing that it was going to take a while to decide.

**Meanwhile**

"I see. No wonder you want my help."

Jura said after hearing about how Natsu came to have a secondary element. Wendy was looking towards the ground feeling uneasy about the story Natsu had just given to her about how to grow even stronger. In fact, she was off in her own little world thinking about what she'd just learned. So Natsu and Jura were able to talk about whatever they wanted. Mostly because Carla was being distracted by Happy who was trying to offer her a fish.

"Really I just need you're help learning to feel **Earth** type magic since it'll be channeled the same way as my **Fire Dragon Slayer** magic. But even after that I think I'd like your help anyway since I noticed a long time ago I improve the best while fighting tough battles."

"Hahaha, is that your way of asking for a fight?"

Natsu just grinned in response.

"We may get the opportunity to clash in the near future, should things go the way I expect."

Jura stated, with a small frown on his face. Given the way he worded it Natsu knew exactly what the **Earth **mage was thinking. But he didn't want to think about it just yet, so Natsu brushed it aside and grinned at Jura.

"Anyway I would love to stay and chat, or even begin helping you with your newfound **Earth** magic, but I promised master Ooba I'd be back before they day was over."

"It's fine Jura. Feel free to come visit us anytime."

Saying he'd keep that in in mind Jura walked off towards towards the train station. Mostly because Natsu had lead them outside for their talk, though that was because he was planning to train with Wendy again. He always felt better after training, and this way he could see how Wendy was holding up after all the information she'd just absorbed.

**Hours Later**

"Hey Natsu?"

Wendy mumbled into his back as Natsu carried her back towards the guild. After Jura left, Natsu convinced her to tell him what she felt about it all, and wasn't shocked to hear she didn't like the idea of growing stronger by killing. Since she was still pretty young, he decided that he would do everything in his power to prevent her from having to use that method to grow stronger. After all it would break her heart and destroy her innocence, which was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. Then they started training as usual, mostly because it was the only thing Natsu could think of that might cheer the younger Dragon Slayer up. Which lead to their current situation.

"Yeah Wendy?"

"You probably already know this but… I think you're the coolest big brother I could ask for."

The blue haired girl commented with a yawn. Natsu smiled at her words. None of them had said anything out loud, but since he, Gajeel, and Wendy were all part of the same nest they were a family.

"And you're the best little sister possible. Even Gajeel would agree."

Natsu told her, but the younger Dragon Slayer had already nodded off on his back. But the talk did give Natsu an idea. When he finally entered the guild hall he wasn't surprised to see Cana and Laki waiting for him. It was rather late and most of the guild had already left. Though a couple others were heading upstairs towards the infirmary.

Since she could see the question in his eyes as he walked up Cana spoke up.

"We tried to calm Mira down but she broke down almost instantly. She's asleep again, so they offered to stay and keep an eye on her."

Because it made sense to him Natsu just nodded before turning to Laki who offered to make sure Wendy got back to her dorm. He handed the bluette over to her with a small smile, and said goodnight before linking hands with Cana and locking the guild up for the night.

"So, we've managed to figure out what kind of memorial we're doing for everyone."

Cana commented as they leisurely strolled towards their home. Natsu nodded his head, waiting for her to finish filling him in before he told her about his talk with Jura and the idea he had when walking back with Wendy.

"It's going to be costly, but we're going to have a large Fairy Tail symbol cast from solid gold, with all of their portraits carved into it. It'll be surrounded by a beautiful flowerbed full of exotic plants. There's going to be a small plaque with a dedicated poem and a list of all their names."

"That sounds nice. Where did you guys decided to put it?"

"We decided to talk to the mayor and ask if we could put it in place of that large water fountain out front of the guild hall."

Natsu smiled as he agreed that was a great place for it. But Cana narrowed her eyes at him.

"What about your talk with Jura?"

She questioned, her tone telling him he wasn't going to get away without answering. So with a sigh Natsu explained how Dragon Slayers can get stronger by killing other draconic beings. But Cana cut him off and told him about how Makarov had already mentioned it to her.

"While Gajeel and I were out on that job to handle the group of Wyverns I learned another useful tidbit. Because we're not fully human, but not fully dragon either Dragon Slayers are flexible with what kind of magic we use. Apparently if we eat enough of another element we can gain the ability to use it as a secondary type of magic."

"So say you and Laxus fought, and you ate enough of his Lighting, you'd be able to use **Lightning Dragon Slayer** magic?"

Cana asked using Laxus as an example since she didn't want to risk making Natsu's mood worse by making him think of Gajeel.

"Yeah. Anyway, the last Wyvern I fought used **Earth** magic, and I ate a ton of his roar. Like enough that it sent me into **Dragon Force** which is the strongest form of **Dragon Slaying** magic."

Putting two and two together, Cana realized that Natsu asked Jura for help in learning to use his newfound **Earth** magic. Though she had a smile on her face, the brunette couldn't help but shake her head.

"You're just going to keep growing stronger in ridiculous ways aren't you."

Since he couldn't deny it, Natsu just chuckled at her words.

"By the way, I had a thought earlier. But I wanted to get your opinion first."

"Okay?"

"I was thinking about getting all the paperwork set up so that Wendy would legally be my little sister."

Cana turned to Natsu with wide eyes.

"I know you two are pretty close but I didn't think you were that close."

"She was half asleep when she told me earlier, but Wendy thinks I'm best 'big brother' she could have asked for."

"I don't doubt that. But why did you want my opinion?"

Cana commented with a smile. She didn't have any issues with it, though the **Card** mage was extremely curious as to why.

"Remember back when we explained how the three of us are what dragons would call a nest?"

Nodding, Cana used her head to motion for him to continue since she was the one carrying Michiko. Even though their little girl was being carried in a baby sling, she was still using one hand to support her, while the other was intertwined with Natsu's.

"In dragon culture, a nest is made in one of two ways. 1. it's a group of siblings that have grown old enough to leave their parents nest. Or 2. a pair of nestles dragons run into each other and fight for the role of alpha. After that every time the alpha defeats another dragon that doesn't have it's own nest, it's considered part of the nest.

Anyway, our nest is a hybrid of the two methods. Gajeel and I fought and I came out on top. But Wendy has looked up to me from the moment we met, and willingly joined the nest with the intent of being part of our family. Though I'd put money on the fact Gajeel wouldn't admit that despite how our nest stared we really are more like a family than the second option."

"So, in your eyes you two are already family, you just want to make it official?"

Cana asked, wanting to make sure she understood what Natsu was trying to say.

"Yup."

"Even before you explained I was okay with it. But now I want you to do it. Besides Wendy would be a great sister in-law."

Cana commented before making a small 'Eep' like sound as she realized what she said. Her whole face went red and Natsu had to resist the urge to laugh, though in his head he did say to himself that she was extremely cute when she blushed. Even though he wanted to do otherwise, Natsu chose to ignore the fact that she said Wendy would be a great sister in-law. That didn't stop him from having a stupid grin on his face. Though his girlfriend didn't even notice as she was still to embarrassed by her slip up to say or do anything.

"That settles it then. Tomorrow morning I'll stop by the city hall and get started on the paperwork. Hopefully it doesn't take too long and I can surprise Wendy with it before we start our afternoon training."

Cana was still out of it, but upon hearing the word training she remembered something that was mentioned by the others shortly after they decided what the memorial would be.

"Speaking of training, the others were wanting to know if they could joint the two of you. We were thinking of taking the first month or so of the New Year to do some heavy training, before letting you guys go crazy with the jobs."

"Sounds good to me… But I want you to know this now. I refuse to not be there for Michiko. Even though I'm the only one capable of taking S-class jobs I can't stand the thought of not being around to help out and take care of my daughter."

"Natsu, we really need you to lead the charge on this."

Cana commented, happy that he wasn't going to throw himself into it in order to keep Fairy Tail afloat, but they really did need him to do the S-class jobs. Macao had mentioned to her that Makarov used to complain that those were the jobs that kept them from going under.

"I know. I'll be keeping an eye on the others, and the moment I feel they're ready I'll take someone with me on a job to see if they can handle it. I know it's not the best idea but I'm fairly certain the council will look the other way on this. At least until we have another capable S-class to help pick up the slack."

**A Few Days Later**

Natsu hadn't been able to complete all the paperwork within a day, but he had gotten it set up so that legally he and Wendy were siblings. When he told her the news the Sky Dragon Slayer was ecstatic. The majority of the guild was also happy for them, since a lot of them were concerned that Wendy was starting to feel depressed with everything that had happened.

While the towns people were surprised by the sudden change from all of Fairy Tail, and the lack of some of the more well known members, they ignored the citizens and focused on doing what they needed to do to make sure Fairy Tail would still be around when everyone returned. A lot of them were really curious about the surprisingly vast improvement they could see in everyone that trained with Natsu after only a couple days. Even Cana had joined in when she had the time. Though as guild master, and Michiko's main care taker she didn't stick around, only joining them for an hour or so each day while her baby girl was taking a nap.

But because there were still a lot of things to do, she wasn't the only one that didn't make it an all day thing to train. Wakaba and Macao had helped Makarov at times, so they acted as her advisors and guided her through everything she needed help with as she started to learn the ropes.

Each day, however Cana also took some time to see Mira. Yet the white haired woman reacted the same every time the conversation made her remember the recording they'd seen. But Cana wasn't ready to give in, as the reactions were getting less severe by the day. It would take some time, but she was confident that they'd get through to Mira and she'd be back to normal and helping out.

Because Natsu told her that Makarov had made him create the seals on some of the things inside the office, Cana had him help rearrange everything to make room for a small play space for Michiko. In the process they had found several things that the two decided to keep secret, and moved to Natsu's home in order to look at them in detail later. To make things easier they also installed an intercom system, so that Cana wouldn't have to yell to get someone to come up to the office if she needed them. Luckily everyone present chipped in for the memorial, because when Cana and Macao took a look at the guilds finances, they were appalled. The guild wouldn't have been able to pay for anything, as they were only just above being completely broke.

The duo were reading over several reports and trying to figure out how to save money when Natsu entered the newly decorated office.

"The council sent a representative, asking for us."

"Wait, they want to see us right now?"

Cana asked, as she felt a headache coming on. Natsu didn't say anything as he picked up Michiko from her little play pin. The onyx eyed girl just giggled as she happily babbled at him.

"They probably want to know what we've decided. I mean we didn't exactly include them in our decision to keep Fairy Tail going strong."

Macao commented as Natsu started playing peekaboo with Michiko. Pinching the bridge of her nose to stave off the incoming headache Cana looked towards her boyfriend.

"Well we're kinda busy. Why didn't you just tell the representative what's going on Natsu?"

"Because even if I did, the Magic Council is going to want to see the new guild master."

Natsu quickly retorted why he didn't say anything to the councils representative. Rolling her eyes at his response, Cana stood up with the intention of having Natsu go along as her escort for the meeting before taking the rest of the day off so they could relax and enjoy some time together as a family before Natsu became busy.

"True. Anyway, Natsu you're my escort for this meeting."

* * *

S.R: Well that was fun. Anyway I'll see you guys with the next chapter!


	18. Chapter 18

S.R: Okay, this is going to be the last chapter for a bit. Well on this story at least. I've still got to worry about my other stories after all. Besides the only reason these updates came out like they did is the fact I've been ready for this part for a while now. I mean it's to the point if I focused on this story and ignored the others I could easily get to chapter 26 or so before Thanksgiving. But I don't want to do that. So again, this will be the last one for a bit.

* * *

"Very well. We acknowledge your decision to keep the guild alive. I Crawford Seam, Chairman of the Magic council hereby accept Cana Alberona as the new guild master for Fairy Tail. As the current strongest mage of Fairy Tail, I also acknowledge you Natsu Dragneel as the ace of Fairy Tail."

Cana bowed her head as the man finished speaking. As did Natsu, though he didn't like it, the duo had already been told it was tradition to bow when being acknowledge by the council. However he couldn't help but smile as he recalled the reactions of the newer council members when he and Cana first entered the meeting room.

Despite the fact the council workers outside the meeting hall pleaded with them not to take Michiko into the room He and Cana ignored them. So to see several jaws hit the floor was extremely pleasing to him. It was his subtle payback for the remarks they made after he had left from their previous meeting.

"Is there anything else you would like to discuss with me or Natsu?"

Cana questioned after a moment of silence filled the room. Well it wasn't complete silence since Michiko was giggling as she poked at Natsu's face.

"There is nothing else. Besides the two of you have someone that should be taking more of your attention right now."

Yajima commented with a smile that reminded her of Makarov. The brunette couldn't help but smile back, before thanking the council for their time. Natsu didn't say anything, though he did join Cana in giving one more polite bow before leaving the room.

"So what's our next objective?"

"We're going to go on a date."

Cana replied as she wrapped an arm around Natsu while making a silly face for Michiko. The pink haired man just smiled as he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend as well.

"Not that I mind, but where did that idea come from?"

"It's been a while since we've been able to relax and enjoy being together so I thought it'd be a nice change of pace. Especially since you wanted to ramp up the training before we let everyone loose on jobs again."

Chuckling Natsu leaned over to kiss her on the head. She was pouting when she spoke, but he heard the playful undertones that meant she wasn't really mad or upset with him.

"Alright then. Where to?"

"Well I've been putting it off but I do need to get some more buisness like outfits now that I'm guild master. Plus I noticed you need some new clothes too. Some of your outfits are in tatters thanks to training."

Natsu gulped at the mention of clothes. He'd heard stories from the older men in Fairy Tail about what it was like to go shopping with a woman, especially when it was clothes shopping. But he couldn't argue against her since it was true that he needed to get some new clothes.

"If you're a good boy we'll stop and get something to eat after we're done shopping okay?"

Cana teased him. She knew he'd do like she asked, and with Michiko helping keep him in check, Natsu wouldn't be able to cause a disturbance. But she couldn't resist playing with him, especially after she noticed his gulp in fear.

"Of course I'll be good. I have to set a good example for our little dragon don't I?"

Natsu commented, without realizing that she was just teasing him.

"Ga-ba pa ha!"

Michiko cheered, the happy tone, making the duo that had adopted her smile.

"It's really scary just how much like us she is."

Cana commented. After all the little girl had the same hair as Cana, having had it begin to darken up to match the same shade of brown she had. Despite being a little more than 5 months old she was also extremely sharp, catching onto the emotions of those around her, just like both Natsu and Cana. Michiko also had the same onyx colored eyes, the same expressive attitude, and the same energetic personality as Natsu.

Natsu didn't say anything in response, instead smiling down at the little girl as she tried to pull one of his fingers into her mouth to nibble on. Since Era was on a cliff overlooking Crocus, where some of the best clothing shops in Fiore were located Cana lead her pink haired partner down the path towards the city enjoying the day rather than use the transportation that the council had set up to carry people into the city.

Even though Natsu was enjoying their time together, and making small talk as they walked he couldn't help but overhear all the comments people made about little Michiko as they walked. Chuckling randomly when he heard something that tickled him.

"What's so funny?"

Cana glanced up to him from her position of leaning on his arm.

"Some of the things people are saying about us."

This made Cana light up a bit, her inner gossip wanting to know as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"I had already figured that there'd be some people that were jealous, but I thought it would just be a bunch of guys jealous of me having a beauty like you with me. But I've heard a couple other women comment about 'some girls just have all the luck.'"

Cana blushed at his complement, still not used to Natsu's blunt nature when he praised her. But she did giggle a bit when she heard what some of the other ladies were saying.

"I've also heard a few comments about how we'll have our hands full with this one when she grows up."

Natsu chuckled as he gently rubbed Michiko's head. The little girl smiled happily at the action even as she laughed from the ticklish touch. Cana had a grin on her face as well, she had already known they'd have their hands full with Michiko, especially since she was likely to have Natsu wrapped around her little finger once she was old enough to talk.

**A Few Hours Later**

They had finished shopping for Cana relatively easy. After all she was on a mission, looking for specific things rather than just trying on everything that looked nice. No the problems came about when they started to look for some new clothes for Natsu.

Because of his fighting style and his magic, Natsu needed lightweight clothes that didn't restrict his movements. The clothes also had to be fireproof. That wasn't the problem. The issue was that everything they could find that fit that criteria left his bare chest on display.

"Natsu, I'm begging you to find something that doesn't show off your abs."

Cana bit out, frustrated at what was happening.

Even though he had her, someone who even other women called sexy with him. Even though he had a child with him…. Other women in the story were admiring and trying to flirt with the pink haired man. Yet he was too dense to realize. At least in Cana's mind.

"I'm trying, I really am. But it's hard to do that and not restrict my movements too much."

Natsu commented unaware that the reason Cana was getting mad was the fact she was jealous and wanted the other ladies in the story to back off. Sighing Cana prepared to apologize since she was being a little harsh.

"I know Natsu. It's just…. You are really good looking. Too good looking. Like as in I don't want you showing off your abs to anyone else."

"Cana, I've already decided you're the only one for me."

Natsu responded.

"It's not you that I'm worried about."

She commented, before wincing as Michiko started playing with her hair. Since he understood what she was trying to say, Natsu glanced around the store once more, hoping something would jump out at him so that he could make her happy. When he noticed the far corner of the store he had an idea.

"I see they've got some cloaks and capes over there. I've always wanted to try a cloak. Maybe that would work?"

He offered even though it was a lie. While he did think you could look badass while wearing a cloak, He never wanted to. Mostly because he didn't like to hide anything, and most of the people he'd ever met looked sketchy at best while wearing a cloak.

Cana easily saw through his lie, but since it was for her sake, she let it go and agreed to at least look. But when they started looking through the cloaks they bumped into someone they didn't expect to see.

"Laxus?!"

"Oh Cana. Didn't see you there. Sorry."

The blonde man responded. It was very confusing to her, as the last time she'd spoken to him, Laxus was an arrogant prick. To see him acting like he used to, back before he went power crazy almost made her cry.

But before she could say anything else the blonde man did a double take, having finally noticed the child in her arms and the fact that Natsu was beside her.

"Woah, what the heck have I missed since being exiled?!"

"This is what you're thinking, but it also isn't Laxus. It's good to see you're back to normal though."

Natsu commented, as Cana sat down to take a few calming breathes. Laxus was surprised to see how much Natsu had changed, and he was even more so shocked to hear what the pink haired man had been through.

"Well, I'm surprised but I am glad to see that you two are happy at least."

"There's another thing you should know, and you're going to want to sit down for this one."

Cana commented as she rejoined the two men in the cloaks section of the clothing store. The look on her face and the sad tone of her voice made Laxus worried. So he followed the two towards a place to sit down and talk.

The women that had been fangirling over Natsu, tried to follow, since they wanted to see more of the man, who in their eyes was a complete hunk, but one glare from Laxus sent the running.

By the time they finished telling Laxus about what happened to Tenrou island, the blonde had tears in his eyes. He had nearly broken down when they told him about how the island just vanished, but when Natsu was quick to chime in that they were still alive, Laxus managed to hold himself together.

"I… I can't even begin to describe how I feel right now."

Laxus mumbled.

Despite being exiled from the guild, Natsu and Cana had both known that Laxus really did care deep down. The proof was right in front of them. It was enough for them, and they knew it would be enough for the others back at Fairy Tail.

"We don't know how long it'll be till they return though. So we've got to keep the guild alive until they come back."

Cana commented, taking charge of the conversation. Natsu smiled, as he knew what the brunette was about to do. So rather than risk Michiko interrupting or distracting her, he took the little girl from Cana's arms and started to play with her.

Laxus noticed that Natsu was giving Cana the chance to speak, and he smiled proud of how much the pink haired man had grown up. Cana smiled as well, thankful for Natsu's help in making sure she got to say what she wanted.

"I'm not good with speeches, so I'll be blunt. We could really use your help Laxus."

"Are you sure? I mean don't you need the guild masters approval? Besides you two may have forgiven me but I doubt the others have."

Laxus returned worried that he would be causing a scene if he returned to the guild.

"It's fine Laxus. The guild was ready to forgive you the moment you came back to the guild to talk to Makarov before he exiled you. As for needing the guild masters approval, well your looking at her."

Even though he was keeping Michiko distracted Natsu was still able to talk, adding in his own two cents.

"It'd be good to have you back in the guild Laxus, and not just because we could use all the help we can get."

At that Laxus closed his eyes and started to think. Knowing he would need a moment Natsu and Cana were silent. Michiko wasn't very loud either despite the fact she was tugging on Natsu's hand since he had stopped tickling her and it was just resting on top of her tummy.

"If you'll have me join Fairy Tail again, I won't let you down."

Laxus finally responded. A small smile on his face. Natsu and Cana both had wide grins on their face as they were happy to have him back.

"We can head back together."

"Alright. It'll give me more time to get used to the idea anyway."

Laxus stated after Cana said they could all head back to the guild together.

"Hey Laxus, what were you shopping for anyway?"

Natsu asked, curious as to why they ran into Laxus while clothes shopping.

"It's cold, but not cold enough for my coat, so I figured I'd get a cloak to help keep the chill away."

**A Short While Later**

Thanks to Laxus's help they were able to find something for Natsu to wear. Cana was just glad that they had found something Natsu could wear that wouldn't attract the attention of other women like he had in the store. Because it had taken them a bit longer than they were intending thanks to bumping into Laxus, Cana and Natsu scrapped the idea of going out to eat after shopping and instead hopped on the train back to Magnolia.

Because they hadn't told Laxus every little detail yet, the blonde was asking questions trying to figure out how bad things were for the guild with the loss of the group at Tenrou island. Because he was busy playing with Michiko, Natsu was handling the transportation just fine. Something Cana was glad to know, as it meant she could focus on getting Laxus caught up.

"So we don't have any S-class right now?"

"Mira is out of commission right now… We can't say anything without her remembering that Elfman and Lisanna were on Ternou. At that point she just breaks down and quits responding to us. It's so bad that we have to use **Sleep** magic on her just so that she doesn't hurt herself."

"Why wasn't she there with the rest?"

Laxus asked. He wanted to question the bit about Lisanna as well, but it wasn't as important at the moment so he pushed it aside.

"Mira only recently overcame the mental block she had that prevented her from using her **Take Over** magic after Lisanna's 'death'. So she wanted to stay back and bring herself back up to snuff."

"So if we can help Mira stay calm long enough to learn that they're still alive we can get a second S-class at least..."

Laxus mumbled to himself, though it was still loud enough for Cana to hear.

"When we get Mira back in action it'll be three S-class. Natsu and Gajeel were sent out on an emergency quest back before the trials started and the master had promoted both of them for it."

"We'd still only have two, since I'm pretty sure he wants to be around as much as possible since you've got the little one to worry about."

"Yeah, but even with three S-class things will be shaky for a bit. So I have to send Natsu out on jobs as much as I can."

Cana replied. Laxus was concerned when she suddenly blanched, not knowing it was because she was thinking about the dire straits the guild was in money wise at the moment. But she regained her color after a moment.

"At least we don't have the council riding on our backs right now."

Just as Laxus opened his mouth to question what Cana meant by that the P.A. system on the train crackled to life and announced that they were pulling into the station at Magnolia.

"We can finish explaining things later. Right now we've got to get back to the guild so we can party."

Cana said with a smile. Natsu was smiling as well but that was only because he heard the word party. Laxus still feeling a bit guilty over what he had done to be exiled just said one word.

"Why?"

Natsu and Cana both replied in unison, matching smiles on their faces.

"You're coming back to the guild, so of course we've got to celebrate."

* * *

S.R: Okay so part of the reason this chapter is short (the shortest one of the story so far), is because of how I came up with it. This chapter, chapter 17, chapter 16, and chapter 15 were all typed up together. But I was having trouble figuring out where to break it cleanly so that I wasn't doing too much at once. So my beta reader helped me out there. He also demanded that I upload these chapters ASAP. Which is why it's been one chapter a day for the past 4 days (counting today obviously).

S.R: Anyway, time to work on my other stories, so this is the last chapter for now. See you guys next time!


	19. Chapter 19

S.R: I'm really happy with how some of these scenes turned out. I really wasn't expected to spend this much time revising the other spots though. But enough of my rambling you're here for the story. Oh, yeah. There will be a lot of small jumps through time this chapter. Mostly because I'm only going to show the big events that happened during the seven year time skip. Though there is going to be a mini arc to help fill up some of the time.

* * *

Just like Natsu and Cana had said, Laxus was welcomed back into the guild without any issues, everyone having already forgiven him. After the party started winding down, the blonde made his way towards the infirmary.

Stepping into the room he couldn't help but frown when he saw Mira's tear stricken face. The pain that was etched into every one of her features was clear as day.'_They weren't kidding when they said she took this horribly.'_ He thought with a frown. But he shook his head after a moment, after all if anyone would be able to get her to respond and listen it would be him. Before he became the arrogant prick he was when he got exiled, Mira was the one he was closest with out of everyone in the guild.

Reaching out, he gently shook the white haired woman's shoulder. It didn't take much for her to start reacting. Her hand came up to her face to rub the sleep out of her eyes before she looked towards the person waking her. Blinking the white haired woman looked up at his face in confusion while sitting up.

"Laxus?"

Her voice came out sounding weak. It hurt him to hear her sounding so vulnerable. But he didn't know what to do, unsure of how she'd react once she realized it wasn't a dream. But to his surprise she gave a weak smile.

"I knew you still cared. Even if it was hidden."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

He asked curious as to why she was acting so differently compared to how he'd been warned.

"If you're here then that means you heard about what happened to everyone on Tenrou. The only reason for you to show up would be because you still care."

Because she didn't seem to be breaking down, Laxus just went with the flow of the conversation. He didn't want to risk her falling apart before they could talk after all.

"Yeah… I just. I pushed all of that aside back then. I was just so fed up with constantly being compared to gramps and I snapped."

The white haired woman giggled softly.

"We all knew that silly. But a few of us were scared you really would stop caring after being kicked out."

He didn't know how to respond to that. So Laxus just blushed awkwardly. Mira didn't say anything either. Not for a few moments at least.

"Wait, if you're here does that mean the others held the memorial service already?"

Laxus flinched, at her sudden shift. But it was towards the topic he wanted to talk with her about, so he sighed.

"Can you think about it without breaking down?"

Mira tilted her head at that, not understanding why he wanted to know. But she didn't say anything.

"I ask because there is something you need to know, but everyone else kept telling me that you have a mental breakdown whenever you think about them being gone."

Instead of saying anything Mira just reached out and grabbed his hand. Lacing her fingers into his she looked up into his eyes.

"If I need to hear it, then I'm trusting you to keep me from breaking apart. If it looks like I'm going to stop listening, then squeeze my hand. I know the others think of everyone in the guild as family, but it just isn't the same. Which is why I'm trusting you."

Laxus was a little shocked to hear Mira dismiss the others like that. But then again, he knew that despite how close she was with the others in the guild, Mira was far closer with her siblings. Basically the situation boiled down to her trusting him more than the others because they were the ones that actually were family with people that were on Tenrou. Closing his eyes, Laxus took a deep breath.

"You know about **Fairy Law** right? How it's one of three spells the first guild master left for Fairy Tail?"

"What does that have to do with this?"

Mira quickly asked, not comprehending what Laxus was trying to say.

"Quite a bit actually. Anyway, you know how Dragon Slayers have sharper senses than others right? Well Natsu and that new girl, Wendy, both noticed something in the video that the Rune Knights showed you all."

Here Mira's eyes went wide, understanding what Laxus was trying to say.

"They saw something and believe it was one of the other spells the first master made for Fairy Tail?"

A smile came to Laxus's face as he mentally praised her for being such a quick thinker.

"Yeah. Natsu and some of the others searched through the library to find out more. They believe gramps used a spell called **Fairy Sphere** to protect everyone. But from what I've been told about how the spell works… Well let's just say, it could be a long time before anyone sees those guys again."

At this point the two heard footsteps. Turning to face the door Laxus and Mira were greeted by a smiling Cana and Natsu. Michiko being fast asleep in the arms of her father.

"You okay now Mira?"

**A Few Weeks Later**

Thanks to coordinating it with the council and everything else that was going on, the guild had decided that the would unveil the memorial for the guild members that were at Tenrou island on the last day of January.

Which was why they all could be found standing in the plaza out front of the guild with the mayor, giving a speech about the new memorial. A few members of the council had come in person to see the memorial, Jura and the others from Lamia Scale that had worked with Fairy Tail in the past had come to see it as well. Master Bob, and Master Goldmine, along with their aces had shown up as well. It was a rather large crowd. Once the mayor finished his speech Cana stepped up as the new guild master to give her own.

"Our friends, no, our family on Tenrou island may not be here in person with us, but the are still alive. How can they die, so long as we keep them alive in our hearts and in our memories? Fairy Tail shall stand strong and remain vigilant for the day we see them again."

Even though it was a very short speech, her words were full of passion. Enough so that the entire crowd started to clap, not just those that understood that Cana was saying that so long as they had faith that their friends were still alive, they would wait for them to return.

After that the crowd began to dissipate with Fairy Tail and it's guests returning to the guild hall. Cana and the guild masters moved up to her office to talk while Natsu and Laxus entertained the mages from the other guilds.

"That was well said Cana."

Master Bob commented after they sat down. Mater Goldmine nodded his head in agreement.

"I just thought about how Master Makarov would have spoken."

"Maki has always had a way with words after all."

"That's certainly true."

The two guild masters agreed after hearing the brunettes influence.

"Anyway, we've been monitoring the waters where Tenrou island is supposed to be at, but there hasn't been anything unusual. I promise we'll keep an eye out though. The moment we notice something I'll let you know."

The master of Blue Pegasus said after a moment.

"I know we all hope that it won't take long for them to return, but I can't say I expected you to find anything just yet. From what we read about **Fairy Sphere**, it should take a while. After all it somehow converts the bonds between us into magic. Given just how strong Fairy Tails bonds are, it makes sense that we'll be waiting a bit."

"Right. Just look at how you guys fought back against Phantom Lord. That's all the proof we need to see just how strong your bonds are. Anyway I promised Natsu that I'd bring you guys some of our guild specific requests to help keep you afloat. We don't have a whole lot right now, and I need them too, so I only brought a couple."

Goldmine commented as he handed two sheets of paper over to the newest guild master of the group. Cana took them with a grateful smile.

"Thanks. These will help immensely. Especially now that Laxus has returned."

Meanwhile downstairs, Laxus and Natsu were chatting with Jura.

"With your return to Fairy Tail I'd say things are looking much better."

The **Earth** mage commented as he looked towards Laxus.

"Yeah, but it's still going to be tough. Gramps once told me that the S-class jobs were the only reason Fairy Tail was still in the positive money wise. But he also said that the saving grace was Gildarts taking on all the Decade and Century quests he did."

"I find that hard to believe."

Here Natsu butted in. Though is attention was on Michiko who was sitting in his lap.

"Have you forgotten just how destructive we can be? I wouldn't doubt it if Gildarts jobs were the ones gramps used to pay off the bills for all the destruction we caused."

"That reminds me. With Gildarts gone right now, who is the ace?"

Laxus asked.

Macao who was sitting at the bar behind them overheard the question and chuckled as he turned to join the talk.

"Right now the council appointed Natsu as our ace."

Laxus went wide eyed, shocked that the council would agree to that given the pink haired mans track record. Jura just smiled. From what he could tell it was something that made sense. Natsu and Laxus were the two most powerful people currently in Fairy Tail based off what he sensed. Shaking his head, Laxus turned to smile at his fellow Dragon Slayer.

"Given how hard you fight for anyone in the guild I'd say you deserve to be the ace. So Congrats."

No one else got a chance to say anything as at that point Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus left to return to their own guilds. Since it was the last day before most of the guild would be leaving on quests Cana had already gotten to Natsu's side, and pulled him up out of his seat.

"Sorry guys, but I'm stealing my boyfriend. Today's the last day I've got to spend time with him before the guild starts going crazy on jobs."

**The Next Day**

Natsu, Cana, Mira, Laxus, and Macao were the first ones to show up to the guild.

Walking up to her office to get started on the day, Cana placed Michiko in the baby swing they'd bought to place in her office so the little girl would be occupied while she worked. Macao joined her as they had been going through some paperwork that they needed to finish up with.

Since Mira and Laxus had joined in on the training that Natsu had offered to the rest of the guild when Cana told him that they wanted to join in on his sessions with Wendy, they were feeling far more confident in being able to keep the guild together.

"I still have my job as a model, so I'm not going to be taking as many jobs as you guys, but all the money I make from the modeling will go to the guild anyway so it should be fine."

Mira commented as she looked over the S-class jobs with Natsu and Laxus.

"I'd try and talk you out of that, but you are Fairy Tail's poster girl, so I guess it makes sense for that money to go to the guild as well..."

Laxus mumbled as he pulled a job off the board.

"I'm only going to be doing one job at a time. I refuse to let Cana raise Michiko on her own."

Natsu reminded the white haired girl as his eyes narrowed in on one of the requests. At that moment Macao walked out of the office. He had heard their conversation and had something he wanted to point out to them.

"We got word back from the council. To make up for the fact we lost a couple S-class, they've decided that if we feel someone has earned it Cana can instantly promote them. So keep an eye out on the others. If you think someone is ready take them with you on a job or two as a test, then let Cana know."

Laxus and Natsu both nodded. In Natsu's case he was already planning to do that anyway. Mira thanked Macao for the heads up before finally deciding on her job.

"Well I'm going to take this one. On the way back I'll be stopping in Crocus for a photo shoot."

She commented before moving down the stairs to leave the guild hall.

Laxus had grabbed a second job request at that point.

"these two are pretty close to each other so I'll be doing both, but I'm gonna take another one as well. The more jobs we get done quickly the better right?"

At that point Natsu had decided for certain to take the one he was looking at when he had spoken.

"I'm taking this one."

* * *

S.R: And that's were this one ends. Mostly because the first year or two are just going to be little shorts describing Michiko's growth, and I'd rather keep those all together rather than split them up between chapters. I do actually have some things planned but not enough to really do much before the fanon arc I have in the works.

Side note: I haven't decided yet, but for everyone asking me not to make Laxus X Mira a thing I just have one thing to say. Well two actually. 1. I actually like this pairing more than I do Natsu X Mira (except for when she's part of a small harem). and 2. The only other person I like the idea of pairing Laxus with is Cana, which can't happen in this story.


	20. Chapter 20

S.R: Okay, the first half of this chapter is going to play out like a time line. The second half will go back to normal. I wasn't really sure about how to do it, and after a little bit of thought I decided this was the best way to do it. Hopefully it makes sense. Anyway, here you go.

* * *

**Year X785 – March 1st**

Returning to the guild Natsu ran up the stairs to Cana's office. Both to report the success of his job, and to spend time with his girlfriend and their daughter. While picking Michiko up and explaining how his job went to Cana, the duo learn that Michiko's first tooth has come in. The reason they discover this?

"Hey, that feels different than it normally does."

Natsu commented as he turned towards his daughter who had pulled one of his fingers into her mouth to nibble on. But then he realized why.

"Wait a minute, does my little dragon finally have her first tooth?"

Natsu nearly screamed with a happy smile on his face.

**Year X785 – April 5th **

A giggling sound drew Cana's attention towards the floor. They had set up a little play pen for Michiko in her office so that she could still keep an eye on her daughter. But she couldn't help smiling when she saw her little girl. There was a stack of blocks that they had gotten for her to play with, but it was being ignored. Instead the little girl had finally started crawling, at around eight months old.

"Natsu's going to be sad he missed this. But he's supposed to be back tomorrow."

She commented to herself as she completely ignored her work in order to pick her daughter up with a smile.

"It's about lunch time. Let's get you some food."

"Faa!"

The little girl cheered, trying to mimic the word food. Even though she knew her daughter was just trying to mimic her, and that she didn't fully understand the word or it's meaning yet, Cana could help but laugh as she replied.

"Yes, food. It's time for food."

**Year X785 – July 15th **

Natsu and Cana had taken the day off from the guild, intending to spend some time together as a family since it had been a while. They were sitting in front of Michiko who was sitting in her high chair having just finished eating. The little girl was now eleven months old, and already saying her first word. Which was why they were cheering her on and doing everything they could to get the little girl to say it again.

"Come on sweetie, say it one more time for mommy."

"You can do it, daddy knows you can say it again!"

They were very eager to hear it, especially since neither of them were in the room when she said it. Natsu had been taking the trash out and Cana had gone to the restroom, leaving Happy to watch over the little girl.

According to the blue cat, the little girl pointed right at him before loudly declaring the word 'cat'. While skeptical at first, Natsu and Cana both gave into the urge to hear the proof, hence the reason they were cooing at the little girl to try and speak again.

But Michiko just basked in their attention, giggling happily while poking at their faces. It wasn't until Happy flew into the room after leaving to find another fish. He settled down on Natsu's head while munching on his fish, as per usual when the little girls eyes lit up at the sight of him. She cheered while pointing towards the blue exceed that was resting on Natsu's head.

"Cat! Cat!"

**Year X785 – August 3rd**

Because they weren't certain what day the little girl was actually born on, but had a general idea of the month thanks to Porlyusica, Natsu and Cana had made the 3rd Michiko's birthday, since it was on the 3rd of November when they adopted her. The entire guild had thrown a party for the little girls birthday, which was greatly entertaining for her.

But the guild was treated to a couple surprises by the end of the night. The first one was the news that Alzack had proposed to Bisca the night before. The second surprise was Natsu proposing to Cana, in front of the entire guild. Which was captured with a picture lacrima by Mira, along with a few pictures of the party itself. No one needed to ask why though. The white haired **Take Over** mage after learning that everyone on Tenrou island would return one day, had taken to recording as much as she could, so as to show them what they missed when they got back.

"To be honest I've wanted to do this for a while… But with how crazy things were after the incident at Tenrou island I didn't think it was a good time. Now that things have calmed down and we aren't pushing ourselves too far and running ourselves ragged… I think it's the perfect time to ask."

Natsu told Cana, his voice carrying through the room as he got down on one knee while pulling a box out of his pocket. He opened it up to show her a ring that he ended up making himself. The moment he started to get down on one knee the brunette had tears in her eyes, as a smile came to her face.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes!"

Cana squeaked out, almost completely overcome by her emotions.

**Year X785 – October 22nd**

Since they had both proposed around the same time, Natsu and Alzack convinced their female counterparts to hold their weddings back to back. They also decided to have the weddings sooner rather than later. Mostly as a way to make it easier for everyone to attend. So they acted as each others best man, though Laxus was dragged along to be a best man as well. Because it was a good idea Cana and Bisca were each other's maid of honor, with Mira stepping in to be a brides maid to balance it out with Laxus.

As he was good friends with Makarov, who both couples wished could have been their to officiate their weddings, Cana had asked councilman Yajima do it Makarov's place. On top of their wedding, Natsu and Cana celebrate Michiko taking her first steps without any help.

**Year X786 – February**

Fairy Tail celebrates Jet being welcomed to the S-class. Being the bragging father he his Natsu proudly spends the party telling everyone who would listen about how Michiko had grown up enough to start using sippy cups instead of bottles. On top of that, the guild declares that they have to be far more careful whenever Michiko is in the main hall of the guild. After all, Natsu almost put one of them in the hospital when a guild brawl got so intense that someone almost fell on top of Michiko while she was running to him when he came back from a job.

**Year X786 - March 7th**

As his first day off since they partied to celebrate Jet becoming S-class Natsu took this day to stay at home with Michiko, just the two of them. He didn't let Cana stay home from work since there was a lot of paperwork she needed to finish. He sent Happy off to join Wendy and Carla for the day since they were also resting. The reason? Natsu just wanted to spend some time with his daughter while no one else was around. Mostly because he was certain everyone would yell at him for the idea he had.

Because his last job had been to escort a merchant who specialized in paint supplies, Natsu was given a set of paints that were called 'tempura paint'. After reading the label he realized it was kid safe. So he decided to let Michiko have a new experience, and set it up to let his daughter finger paint. Surprisingly Cana didn't yell at him when she came home to find both of them covered in paint and giggling.

**Year X786 – May**

Fairy Tail celebrates Droy becoming S-class. Macao decides it's time to start training Romeo in magic, so Mira takes on his role as advisor, but her efforts in completing jobs don't slow down in the slightest so the guild doesn't get hurt at all by the shift. Though she still made some time to help Kinana out with running the bar.

**Year X786 – July**

Alzack and Bisca have their daughter Asuka. The guild celebrates Asuka being born. Natsu, Cana, and Macao all give advice and help to the new parents.

**Year X787**

Wendy is promoted to S-class. Michiko takes a shine to Asuka. Any time she was around the younger girl Michiko tried to show her how to do things. Most of the guild found it adorable, even Laxus though he refused to admit it out loud.

**Year X788 (A/N: Now back to regular story mode)**

Natsu, Cana, Michiko, and Laxus were standing in Era, having been called by the magic council.

"It shames me to say this, but after a long debate we have finally made headway in filling in the empty spots among the Wizard Saints. As you all know, Jose was stripped of his status after provoking Fairy Tail. Wizard Saint Siegrain had his status revoked after we discovered his treachery, which was thanks to you and your former team Natsu Dragneel. But no matter how much we argued and debated there was no one that could have taken their spots. And now, just last month our 7th seated Wizard Saint retired. With that being the final straw, the king himself stepped in and demanded that we finally fill those seats."

Crawford Seam spoke up as the chairman of the council. Everyone in the room except for Michiko understood what was going on, but when the little girl saw her parents staying quiet she did too.

"The king even ordered us to promote the one who has done the most to protect our country. It took a lot of debating to figure that out, but when the talk finished, it was determined that you were the one to fit the bill."

By this point the majority of the room was wishing he'd just get on with it already.

"So, we summoned you here today with your guild master, and one escort to make it official. Natsu Dragneel, we, the magic council, ask if you are willing to accept the status of Wizard Saint?"

He finally asked.

Natsu took a deep breath as he bowed low to the council.

"I would be honored to accept."

"Very well. As the strongest of those we have decided to bring into the ranks of the Wizard Saints, we name you, Natsu Dragneel, the 7th Wizard Saint."

At that point a man who was standing off to the side walked up to Natsu with a cloak, a medallion, and a badge held out for the pink haired man to take. Thanking him as he did so, Natsu put the cloak on. He tucked the badge into one of his pockets, and put the medallion around his neck. Because of the circumstances the white scarf that he typically wore, was wrapped around Michiko's neck and draped over her shoulders.

"We still have other matters to discuss, so rather than stand on formality and tradition, you are dismissed. Since you are close with Jura, who has recently been promoted to 5th Wizard Saint, we suggest asking him for everything you need to know."

The chairman commented before allowing the group to leave the room. As the stepped outside, Michiko finally spoke up.

"What was all that about daddy?"

Natsu couldn't help but smile, proud of how smart his daughter was. She had picked up on the serious air in the council's meeting room and stayed quiet until she was sure it was okay to speak.

"Well, that was a special meeting."

"I know. You told me that. Why was it special though?"

Chuckling Natsu ruffled her hair.

"You know how daddy is one of the strongest mages right?"

He asked, though he was unable to hold back his smile when she replied.

"Daddy is the strongest there is!"

Off to the side Laxus wanted to argue, but since Natsu was the ace while Gildarts was gone, and was the one to become a Wizard Saint he didn't really didn't have the ability to. So he just grunted.

"Right, well that meeting was just to make it so everybody would know that. Those men and women in there are going to tell everyone."

"Oh. Okay daddy!"

At that point Natsu picked his daughter up with a smile.

"What do you say we find a park when we get back and go play for a bit?"

He asked her as they moved towards the train station to return to Magnolia. Cana couldn't help but smile at the scene as she placed a hand on her round stomach. Even Laxus could help but chuckle at the sight. A moment later rather than just being carried, Michiko was sitting on Natsu's shoulders directing him onward and giggling happily.

"I wonder if those two are going to be just as energetic as he is."

Laxus commented to Cana with a grin when he noticed her hand pressed against her stomach. Since they shared all the news about it with the guild already, she could help but roll her eyes at the fact Laxus reminded her that she and Natsu were about to have twins in a couple months. Before she could retort to the blonde next to her they heard Natsu calling back to them.

"Hurry up slow pokes!"

"Yeah, yeah. We're coming."

Laxus called back as he and Cana increased their pace to catch up to the pink haired man and his passenger.

"Still, I can't believe they let you be a Wizard Saint, let alone one rank below gramps."

The blonde commented to Natsu when they settled down in the train car. Over the years, Natsu had overcome his motion sickness to an extent, so he was still able to chat with Laxus.

"I'm surprised too you know. I'll gladly take this chance though. The council might not be gunning for us like they used to, but that doesn't mean they've given up. Letting me be a Saint just gives us a better stance to fight back from if they do try anything."

Because he couldn't disagree, Laxus just nodded.

"Plus I can rub it in Gray's face when they get back. The stripper will probably be too confused to understand though."

Natsu added on with a chuckle at the end. Cana rolled her eyes, not surprised to see that Natsu still believed in his rivalry with Gray. Laxus chuckled as well, agreeing with the pink haired man about Gray's reaction.

Michiko who was sitting in Natsu's lap just tilted her head at the name.

"Who's Gray?"

It was then that they realized Michiko didn't really know anything about the people that were on Tenrou island. Sharing a look, Natsu and Cana decided to start telling some stories from the past.

**Hours Later**

"Just like how you call Mira, auntie Mira, she'll probably want to be called auntie too."

Natsu said as he thought of Levy.

"What about grampa?!"

His daughter asked eagerly. The previous story he'd told her was about how he had met Makarov, who she had taken to calling grampa, after hearing Natsu call him gramps. Laxus couldn't help but snicker at the thought, and even Cana had a smile on her face.

"I see you like stories about gramps the most… Well Laxus probably has more stories about gramps than I do."

The pink haired man said with a grin as he looked towards Laxus. Of course the blonde knew he was just being used as a distraction. But he didn't mind, as a grin came to his face when the little brunette climbed into his lap for a story while Natsu turned to Cana.

"How are you three holding up?"

He asked as he placed a hand on Cana's stomach.

"Well they've stopped kicking now. But I've got a craving for peach ice cream for some reason."

Natsu tried to suppress the shudder he felt at the idea as he told his wife he'd run out to the store for some when they got to Magnolia.

"You're too good to me."

Cana said with a smile before leaning her head closer to his, just to give him a kiss.

"I can't be too good to you. Heck I don't even think I'm good enough for you sometimes."

He told her as she pulled her head back. Rather than respond she just leaned onto his shoulder. As she leaned on him Natsu put an arm around her.

Even though he'd been paying attention to Michiko as he told her his story, Laxus still noticed their movements and he smiled. Natsu had been really busy the last couple months, so he was genuinely happy to see the couple getting a moment together, even though it was something small. Unfortunately for them, the PA system blared to life a moment later.

"We are arriving in Magnolia station. All passengers exiting at the Magnolia station should begin to gather their belongings. Thank you for choosing Fiore Rails for your transportation needs."

Since none of them really needed to gather anything, they stayed seated as the train slowed to a complete stop. Since she was still excitedly listening to his story even as they moved to leave the train Laxus had put Michiko on his shoulders. This was the sight the guild was treated to first when they returned to the guild hall. Though the moment Michiko's eyes landed on Mira she squirmed to be put down before shooting off like a rocket towards her god mother.

Giggling excitedly as she crashed into the white haired woman's legs with a hug, Michiko looked up at her.

"Hi auntie Mira!"

Mira smiled and let out a small giggle as well before responding.

"Hi sweetie."

Most of the guild was smiling at the scene and those that weren't, were laughing at Laxus as he pouted about never getting a greeting like that. Which was true. The only people Michiko seemed to adore enough to greet like that were Mira and her parents.

Natsu and Cana who had stopped to get ice cream before continuing to the guild, walked in a moment later. Though because of his enhanced hearing Natsu had been able to listen to everything that happened. Sighing as Cana pulled her hand away from his to head back to her office Natsu walked over to the blonde man.

"Mira is her godmother after all."

He commented before giving Laxus a pat on the shoulder. Grunting in response Laxus headed towards the bar intending to get a drink and relax. Natsu let him go with a smile, instead turning to chat with Mira, who still had Michiko attached to her leg.

"How were things while we were meeting with the council?"

"Same as ever. Oh, Romeo was looking for you. He said he had learned a new spell that he wanted to show you."

Mira replied in her chirpy tone as she passed around the drinks at the table behind Natsu. Glad nothing had changed much, Natsu moved towards the bar. Clearing his throat in front of the microphone he waited until everyone was paying attention.

"It'll be announced in a few days, but… As you know I was called to a meeting with the Magic Council, Cana had to come along as guild master, and since she is pregnant they wanted another mage along to act as an escort, which was why Laxus went with us. The reason for this meeting," here Natsu paused to take a breath. After he and Cana got married, Natsu bought a few blank spell cards and used them to absorb some of his strongest attacks for her. That way if Cana was ever in a bad situation, she would have a few tricks up her sleeve. But she had given him a few special cards as well.

So he pulled one of the cards out of the small holster he kept them in and poured a bit of magic into it while he was taking his deep breath. As he activated it a bright flash of light covered his shoulders for a moment before fading away, revealing the Wizard Saints jacket.

"The magic council has decided to make me one of the ten Wizard Saints."

He finally finished speaking. For a moment it was dead silent, but then the guild let out a tremendous roar of a cheer. It was loud enough that the building shook, which caused Natsu, Laxus, and Wendy to flinch. But they smiled anyway. Laxus and Wendy because they were happy for him, and Natsu because he was just happy that the guild was excited about something. The level of excitement they were showing was enough to remind him of the old days, before Tenrou island vanished.

Since he didn't feel like partying with the rest of them, Natsu decided to make good on his suggestion to his daughter. With a smile he approached Mira, before prying his daughter off her leg. With a grin he easily lifts her up to monkey around to his back for a piggy back ride while saying "Come on you. Let's go find a park and play for a bit."

* * *

S.R: Okay, so the next couple chapters are going to be a mini arc, revolving around the stuff I had set up when Natsu and Gajeel dealt with the Wyverns. This is a heads up, just in case. Why? Well, as much as I hate the idea, I already made the 'Dragon Gods' canon to this story. So I might as well do something with them now, rather than leave the idea in the background for who knows how long. But, this is my take on the idea, so there will be some twists compared to the actual canon version. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time.


	21. Chapter 21

S.R: I don't really have anything to say this time, so let's just get right into it. Shall we?

* * *

Natsu and Michiko had been playing at a nearby park for a little over half an hour when a blue haired teenager approached them.

"Auntie Wendy!"

Michiko cheer as she charged into the older girls legs before latching onto them while laughing happily.

"Hey there Michiko. I'll come play with you in a minute, I've got to talk to you dad first."

Wendy said with a smile as she ruffled Michiko's hair. The younger girl pouted a little since she really wanted to play. Knowing that would happen Wendy reached down with her pinkie out.

"Come on, I pinkie promise okay?"

Since she had never broken a promise before, Michiko agreed to it instantly, though she still pouted as she begrudgingly and slowly pried herself off of Wendy's leg.

"I'll be on the swings 'kay?"

Michiko stated before trotting off. Natsu and Wendy both watched her go with a smile on their faces.

"So what's up?"

Natsu asked, without taking his eyes off of his daughter.

"Well…. You know the job I just came back from?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I ran into a small pack of Wyverns…."

Turning to face Wendy while narrowing his eyes at her words Natsu practically demanded to know more. With a sigh the bluette told him about how she had managed to wound a couple of them, before the strongest of the group convinced everyone to settle down and talk things out. Similar to the job he and Gajeel had taken before they were made S-class the Wyvern explained that it had been sent to make contact with the Dragon Slayers.

"Nephele mentioned having a message for the Fire Dragon Slayer, and she asked me to bring you to talk."

Wendy finally finished her story. Instead of finishing the Wyverns off, she had befriended them instead, which was something Natsu wasn't expecting, but wasn't surprised to hear. Even though she had grown from her shy and timid younger self, Wendy still tried to avoid violence when she could.

Natsu sighed as he thought about reasons they would look for him in particular. The biggest and most likely reason was that because he was the son of Igneel, he would likely need to be tested to see if he had the strength to claim Igneel's throne as Fire Dragon King for his own. Though he did think there was a possibility they didn't know he already knew about the Dragon Gods and the task they had given the Wyverns.

"How far is she?"

"Just over on Mt. Hakobe."

Tilting his head in thought Natsu figured it was close enough that he didn't have to worry about missing too much. After all, the other S-class had practically ganged up on him before forcing him to agree to stay home with Cana for the last couple months before she gave birth. All because they knew she would need him, and that he'd be kicking himself if something happened while he was away.

"Alright then, meet me at the Northwestern gate tomorrow morning."

Wendy just nodded in response. But then Natsu lightly patted her on the shoulder.

"Now then, I think you've got a promise to keep." The pink haired man told her before pointing with his thumb towards Michiko. The little brunette was watching the two impatiently waiting for Wendy to come play like she promised. A small laugh escaped Wendy's lips as she walked over to the swings, ready to play with Michiko. Natsu chuckled to himself as he found a bench to sit and relax on, though he still kept an eye on the two, ready to move in case something happened.

Eventually Cana and Happy wandered away from the guild and it's party for the fact Natsu had been named a Wizard Saint. Recalling his idea of taking Michiko to the park, Cana led the flying blue cat on a walk to the nearest one, only to find Wendy carrying a tired Michiko towards Natsu who was setting on a bench. Despite the fact she knew Natsu had probably played with Michiko for a bit before resting on the bench the brunette walked up to him with a teasing smile.

"So your idea of taking our daughter to the park is to have her play with someone else while you sit around?"

"She wanted to play with Wendy. Who am I to stop her?"

Natsu replied as he stood up from the bench a smile on his face as he took his daughter from the blue haired girl. Cana was smiling as well, as she nodded in greeting and in thanks to her sister-in-law. Michiko tiredly placed her head on Natsu's shoulder as they left the park, and even yawned. Happy fluttered through the air to land on top of Natsu's head, having made it his official seat when he wasn't using his wings to move around.

**The Next Morning**

"Go back to sleep."

Natsu commented when he felt Cana's arms wrap around him as he tried to get dressed. Since it was a Saturday, he knew she was going to sleep in. After all, on Sunday's and Saturday's the guild didn't open until 11, and closed at 9. Though Natsu still hadn't realized the reason was that most of the time, the others in Fairy Tail preferred to take the weekends off.

"But I need my personal heater."

The brunette mumbled into his back, still half asleep.

"Wendy found something she wanted me to check out. But I promise I'll be back by tonight."

Natsu offered, hoping it would be enough to get his wife to let him finish getting dressed. Though he didn't know for sure if he really would be home by night. Since he said he'd be back, Cana loosened her arms but didn't pull away from him just yet. Having been married to her for a couple years now, Natsu knew it was Cana's way of asking for a kiss before he left. So with a small smile on his face, Natsu rotated in her arms before leaning over both her and the bed, to give his wife a soft kiss.

Cana still didn't remove her arms, but they both knew that even while half asleep, she wouldn't try to keep a hold of him, and her arms would just fall softly back on the bed when Natsu started to move again. So the pink haired man went back to getting dressed. Once that was done he moved to the small hammock that was Happy's bed.

Luckily the blue fur-ball was already awake, so with a jerk of his head towards the door Natsu gestured for his every present buddy to follow him. As the door shut behind him Natsu whispered what they were doing.

"We'll be meeting up with Wendy and Carla so she can show me something."

The mention of the white cat was enough to wake Happy up completely.

"You think I can convince her to share a fish with me?!"

Despite the fact Happy had been trying to get Carla to have a fish with him for years without success, Natsu couldn't help but chuckle as he replied.

"Maybe."

But rather than head downstairs to leave just yet, Natsu walked towards the only other bedroom in the house. After he and Cana got married the brunette started sharing his bedroom with him, and they prepared the room he had built for her and Michiko, to be their daughter's bedroom.

Peaking in Natsu, Natsu smiled when he noticed Michiko holding the stuffed dragon doll they'd gotten her for her first birthday. It was clenched tightly in her little arms, and you could clearly see that it was worn out, but she loved the doll, especially after all the stories Natsu had told her about Igneel. With a whisper of "Sleep tight, my little dragon." Natsu closed the door.

**On The Outskirts of Magnolia**

"Morning Wendy. Morning Carla."

Natsu greeted the two as he and Happy approached the spot he had asked Wendy to meet him at the previous night. But neither of them said anything, both shocked by his outfit. After he had been admitted to the ten Wizard Saints, the magic council had practically ordered Natsu to wear his saint's jacket everywhere he went for a few weeks so as to help spread the news that he had become one.

"Oh, yeah that's right you weren't back yet when I made the announcement."

He spoke after realizing why they were staring at him. Finally blinking herself out of the stupor she was in, Wendy excitedly congratulated him.

"That's amazing! Especially since it means the magic council recognizes you as one of the strongest in Fiore!"

Natsu didn't bother to tell her that they had given him the rank Jura held back when they first met the **Earth** mage. Nor that he was only one rank below Makarov's spot. Mostly because he was certain she'd start ranting about how they were underestimating him. After all, he was the one to defeat Brain/Zero, not Jura. So if anything she would probably argue that he should be above Jura in the ranks. Which while true, Natsu didn't really care about. So long as he could protect those he cared about, he was content.

"So tell me about Nephele, while we walk."

Natsu commented as they left Magnolia. He wanted to know more about the Wyvern that Wendy had met. Especially since she didn't seem to have any injuries at all, which was strange since the 'Dragon Gods' from Guiltina had sent them as a means to test the dragon slayers.

"I don't think she has the same task those Wyverns you and Gajeel dealt with back then. The moment she saw I was capable of wounding them without expending all my magic, Nephele jumped into the middle of our fight practically begging us to stop."

"Just because she stopped the fight doesn't mean they don't have the same task. We get stronger every time we kill a draconic being, so she might have decided that it'd be better if they were taken out by the strongest slayer instead. Make one exceptionally strong Dragon Slayer, instead of multiple decently strong Dragon Slayers."

The pink haired man suggested. Even though they had seen it happening, it was still amazing to Carla to see Natsu using his brain instead of being the brash idiot he was when they first met. Of course the white exceed was ignoring the advances of Happy, as she listened to the conversation, not wanting to be in the dark in case something were to happen.

After a few hours of walking the group finally managed to reach the foot of Mt. Hakobe. Wendy glanced up towards a cave, one that only she and Natsu were able to see from the ground, and even then it was only thanks to the fact their eyes were keen because of their Dragon Slaying magic affecting their bodies. Natsu noticed where she was looking, and let out a sigh.

"Well at least it's not hard to get to..."

He mumbled before turning towards Happy. The blue cat had given up on sharing a fish with Carla not that long ago, instead eating it on his own to quell his rising hunger.

"Hey buddy I know you want to eat but I'd like to get this over with quickly. Mind giving me a hand?"

Carla knew what Natsu was getting at, but Happy took a few minutes to realize Natsu wanted the two exceeds to use their magic to carry the slayers. It was a much faster method than climbing up to the cave after all. Activating their **Aera** magic, Happy and Carla both lifted their companions up off the ground before following Wendy's directions towards the cave.

As they got to the entrance to the cave a familiar smell hit both slayers dead on. That was all they needed to prove that the cavern was in fact, home to a few Wyverns. The two slayers both moved without hesitation when they were set down on the floor of the cavern by their exceeds. If they could smell the Wyverns, then the Wyverns could smell them. So it would be a waste to act cautiously. Carla and Happy had tired themselves out carrying the two, since it was cold weather. Because of that Natsu used a light **Sleep** spell on them so the two exceeds would be able to rest.

Letting Happy curl up on his head, Natsu watched with a smile as Wendy gently picked Carla up and carried her as if she were a newborn baby. The bluette gave him a thankful smile since she knew the two exceeds would argue instead of rest and regain their energy. After all they were probably going to need them to get back down the mountain in order to head home. Being quiet, Wendy just nodded for Natsu to follow her further into the tunnel.

"The youngling returns."

A very raspy sounding voice echoed around them as Natsu and Wendy stepped into the largest cavern of the complex network of tunnels and rooms that made up the cave system of Mt. Hakobe.

"I had asked her to. After all I am supposed to deliver a message to one slayer in particular."

A very beautiful and airy sounding voice responded. At that point Natsu's eyes focused in on one Wyvern in particular. It was the smallest of the bunch, but given the level of power he felt, Natsu was confident that it was the alpha.

"Nephele, I presume?"

The small Wyvern nodded, as he studied her appearance. Rather than the sturdy, somewhat blocky, and scaly appearance he was expecting, Nephele's body was more, smooth and fluffy. Her body seemed like it was made out of condensed vapor. Considering the way she looked, Natsu would easily have mistaken her for an actual cloud had she been in the air.

"I already know about the fact Wyverns have been sent here to test us Dragon Slayers and help us grown stronger, since it will come down to us to defeat Acnologia some day."

"That is not the message I was asked to pass along."

Nephele commented with a shake of her head at my words. Since she didn't seem to be related to the element of **Fire** in anyway he didn't think she wanted to test his abilities to see if he was worthy of claiming Igneel's throne. So he tilted his head in confusion.

"Okay, what is your message then?"

"Two of the Dragon Gods wish to meet with you in particular, young Fire Dragon Slayer."

Natsu's eyes went wide at that. Because he was concerned about what could happen back when he learned about the Dragon Gods, Natsu had found a world map, one that would accurately tell him the distance to Guiltina where they resided. If he was asked to go meet them…. The earliest Natsu would be able to return home to Fiore would be three years from now.

"I have an idea on why… But I cannot do that. My mate is pregnant right now, and I refuse to leave her to raise our soon to be born twins on her own."

Natsu finally answered after a moment. If they were connected in any way to the element of Fire, then they wished to discuss Igneel's throne with him. In a few years he'd finally be old enough that dragon kind would recognize him as Igneel's legitimate heir and would allow him to take the crown of the Fire Dragon King without hassle should he choose to.

"Yes, I had been informed of that when I first met the young Sky Dragon Slayer. One of my nest has already returned from relaying that information through our network to the Dragon Gods. They still desire to meet with you and have asked that we inform you that they will be arriving here in Fiore to make things easier for you to meet with them."

"Aren't they worried Acnologia may attack?! I thought the reason they were hiding in Guiltina was to avoid him becoming even stronger by defeating them?!"

Natsu shouted in a panic after hearing about them wanting to come to him. Even Wendy was wide eyed at the news. Thanks to his **Sleep** spell Carla and Happy were still fast asleep though.

"They've been in Guiltina for centuries now and that foul beast hasn't gone after them. Granted its possible he hasn't actually sensed their presence given how far it is to Guiltina from this land known as Ishgar. But even then, there are few dragons that have successfully managed to hide here as well. So the two of them will be just fine."

That calmed Natsu down a bit. He was worried that they'd attract Acnologia's attention. Which would be bad, since the pink haired man knew he was no match for the black dragon yet.

"Where ever I meet with them, it needs to be a hidden spot. There are very few people here in Fiore that wouldn't panic at the sight of a dragon."

"That is not an issue. There is a spell that we dragon kind can use once we're strong enough, that allows us to take a human form."

Nephele quickly informed Natsu. Since he was so worried about how to make sure they would be able to meet without causing mass panic, the Wyvern explained that the Dragon Gods had already come up with all the details.

The two Dragon Gods that wished to meet with him would come directly to him in Magnolia. They'd be using the special spell that allowed them to take human form, so as not to draw unnecessary attention. But as she was only tasked with telling him that they were coming to meet with him, Nephele was unable to confirm or deny Natsu's theory on why they wished to talk with him.

"The only details I can confirm are about the Dragon Gods themselves."

She said as she ended her commentary.

"Can you tell me about the Dragon Gods themselves, and then which two are coming to meet with me?"

"Of course. However, I do have another task to complete while I am able. You see, my nest and I are all dying. We have escaped from Acnologia once before, but we did not do so unscathed. That monster stole part of our souls. Because we will be dying soon, my nest and I wish to share our power with you Dragon Slayers."

Wendy frowned at the idea of the Wyverns dying, and Natsu nodded his head having expected that they wouldn't be letting the Wyverns live beyond this meeting.

"You want me to earn your knowledge by defeating your nest."

Nephele nodded at Natsu's statement.

"As much as I wish to, I cannot allow the Sky Dragon Slayer to fight my nest. She is capable of defeating us, but it would be detrimental to her growth at this point. Our power added on to hers, would make it even harder for her skill to grow. Should she wish to stand beside you when the time comes to fight Acnologia, she will need a much higher skill level. As a warrior you need skill, power, and experience in equal shares after all."

Wendy was confused at this point. She only partially understood why Nephele wanted Natsu to defeat her nest instead of herself.

"I'm not sure I completely understand."

"Think of it like this Wendy. I put a target in front of you. No matter where you hit, you have more than enough power and you break it. But what happens if you end up in a fight with someone or something that you can't defeat with raw power? Accuracy and control are what we mean when we say skill. If you're skilled enough, then all you have to do is hit the weak points on an enemy that you can't just bulldoze with raw power. In other words the target is set up to help you learn accuracy and control, not to show you can break it."

The pink haired man explained in a simple way. Understanding why a balance was needed between power and skill, Wendy was then able to realize why she wasn't allowed to gain the power from defeating Nephele's nest. It would make it harder to control her power. Harder to hold back and work on her accuracy. Which means it would be harder to improve her skill level to match her power level.

"Here's the thing though… I've already got a secondary element that I'm still working on mastering. So I'd rather not have to defeat you and gain a third element."

Natsu turned back to the Wyvern, voicing the problem with him taking the entire nest including it's alpha.

"While my entire nest would be too much power for her, just myself should be fine. So you take my nest down, I tell you all you want to know, and then I pass my powers along to young Wendy."

Nephele offered as a plan. Even though Natsu didn't want to, he knew killing her nest would be for the best. They were dying anyway, and it would likely be a very painful death, so ending them before that would be a mercy. His only real concern was how Wendy would be holding up at the end. She'd never even seen someone kill another living being, let alone killed anything herself.

But Wendy knew what he was thinking. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as she though of what to say in order to make him agree to Nephele's plan.

"I might be young, but I'm still a Dragon Slayer. I might not have gotten the same lessons you and Gajeel did because of my age, but I refuse to let that stop me from becoming strong like the two of you. This will probably destroy some of my innocence, but that's what happens when you grow up. If this will prevent them from dying a painful death, them I'm okay with Nephele's plan. Besides, I trust you to help prevent this from completely breaking me. Its your job as my big brother."

The blue haired girl commented, her tone strong and steady. Acknowledging that she had a point, Natsu softly lifted Happy off of his head for the bluette to watch over.

**Twenty Minutes Later**

"This was my actual nest, not one I was forced to accept as guards for my task like the other alpha Wyverns. I know what they were capable of… But to defeat them so quickly. I'm greatly impressed. I've met dragons that had to retreat because they couldn't handle my nest all at once."

Nephele commented as I finished off the last member of her nest.

"This would have been a lot harder if my secondary element wasn't **Earth**."

Natsu responded with a frown. Thanks to his talk with Gajeel after they had taken down the two nests back then, he was okay with killing again, so long as it was only when he had to, but he still didn't like it.

"The only alpha Wyvern I know that uses **Earth** magic is Laveatil. If he's the one you gained your secondary element from then there is no way my nest stood a chance, even if you used your primary element."

"I gained my **Earth** **Dragon Slayer** magic from Laveatil four years ago, at the same time our friend Gajeel earned **Titanium Dragon Slayer** magic from Titori."

Natsu explained after hearing the shock in her tone, understanding she was extremely impressed by the fact Laveatil had been defeated just from the fact she held him in a high regard.

"Both Laveatil and Titori have been defeated? They were the two strongest alpha Wyverns in Guiltina, and unless my senses are off, Ishgar as well. Titori became an elder the year before she was assigned the task of testing you slayers, and Laveatil… Laveatil was widely considered to be one of the strongest Wyverns, being of of the small handful of Wyverns that had grown strong enough to match a young dragon in one on one combat."

But Natsu didn't respond. He crouched down to allow Wendy to place Happy back on top of his head. When he was certain the blue cat was comfy he stood up straight again, with a smile as the weight of his friend settling on his head once more felt right.

"As much as I would love to learn more about Laveatil, so as to honor his memory properly, I have to shift our talk back to the Dragon Gods. As it's much faster to fly than it is to travel by human methods, I need to know. How long do I have before they arrive?"

Because of the fact he had to prepare for meeting with two of the Dragon Gods, Natsu decided to be practical and get as much info as he could. A grimace came to Nephele's face as she answered.

"Well... They were already on their way when I sent word back to them about your situation," here she shook her head before continuing "they are surprisingly impatient. As it is they are taking their time and will arrive separately, but you should expect both of them within a week of each other. Based on how quickly I received the news about their travel, I'd estimate you have two months until they are here in this land."

A small frown came to Natsu's face at that. Two months from now is when Cana was due to give birth. The idea of not being by her side during that time because of the two Dragon Gods was unnerving.

"You need not worry about them taking you away from your mate. As it stands they both understand the desire to stay close to your mate and the soon to be born hatchlings. While I can't say anything about what they wish to discuss with you, my intuition is telling me that there will be a lot of talk. You will likely have a few days worth of dialogue."

"Does that mean you at least have a few ideas on what they wish to talk about?"

"There are a few matters that come to mind. But for me to explain some of them I need to tell you about the Dragon Gods that wish to meet with you."

Natsu and Nephele talked as Wendy mentally prepared herself for what was to come after they were done. Despite watching Natsu slay the other 6 Wyverns that made up Nephele's nest, she was surprisingly okay. The sight did disturb her, but she was able to ignore the discomfort by telling herself it was a much nicer death than the painful one they would suffer as they slowly died from having their souls torn apart.

"Alright. I'd ask which Dragon Gods want to meet me, but all I know about them is that there are five of them. That's all I have to go on."

She understood that the pink haired man was trying to get as much info as possible to prepare for the future, even beyond meeting the two Dragon Gods that were coming to Fiore just to talk with him. So Nephele explained about the five Dragon Gods. Though she saved the one that would mean the most to Natsu for last.

Aldoron, the Wood Dragon God. Of the five of the Dragon Gods he was the largest and possibly the oldest. Even though he had expressed a desire to see the Dragon Slayers for himself to determine if they could handle Acnologia, he was unable to do so unless they went to him. After all, he had an entire city living on him. Which was something that baffled Natsu when Nephele mentioned it.

Mercphobia, the Water Dragon God. Like Aldoron the Dragon Slayers would have to go to Guiltina to meet him, due to responsibilities to a city that he was protecting. Mercphobia was the one that was in charge keeping the other Dragon Gods up to date on the slayers. Mostly because his town was a port town, so information from other lands was learned far more easily compared to the locations the others lived in.

Selene, the Moon Dragon God. The only female among the Dragon Gods. Due to how reclusive she is, the only other detail anyone knew about her is that her power revolves around the stars.

Viernes, the Gold Dragon God. As the most reclusive of the Dragon Gods, Nephele knew nothing about him other than his title.

"Personally I've only met Mercphobia. But thanks to Telepathy I've talked with Aldoron and the last of the Dragon Gods. I saved him specifically for last because you are connected to him."

Nephele commented as she neared the end of her explanations.

"How so?"

Tilting her head, Nephele took a moment to respond.

"You see, the last of the Dragon Gods is the Fire Dragon God. His name is Ignia and like you, he is a child of Igneel."

* * *

S.R: I'd say that's a good point to end it. Please don't riot because of the cliff hanger. I don't want to info dump too much on you guys at once you know. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time.


	22. Chapter 22

S.R: I've said it before, but just to be safe I'll say it again. The 'Dragon Gods' are not going to be like they are in the manga. It may be a bit annoying to hear it being said again, but I'd rather have it forced into your heads than forget to mention it and have people complain. Speaking of which.

Side note: FireDrakes, no it isn't a bit early for them to be brought in. Considering the plans I have in place and things I intend to change this is really the best place to bring them into play.

Anyway here you guys go.

* * *

**Last Time**

"Personally I've only met Mercphobia. But thanks to Telepathy I've talked with Aldoron and the last of the Dragon Gods. I saved him specifically for last because you are connected to him."

Nephele commented as she neared the end of her explanations.

"How so?"

Tilting her head, Nephele took a moment to respond.

"You see, the last of the Dragon Gods is the Fire Dragon God. His name is Ignia and like you, he is a child of Igneel."

**This Time**

Natsu was shocked. He had grown up with Igneel, yet his adoptive father never mentioned anything about any other dragon, let alone his child Ignia. Wendy was also shocked by the revelation. Nephele could see that it was going to take the two slayers a moment to absorb the new information. Unsure of how to feel now that he knew about Ignia, Natsu looked to the Wyvern in front of him, wondering if she had anything else to add before he bombarded her with questions. Able to see that he was giving her a chance to say more, Nephele continued to talk about the Fire Dragon God.

"Ignia is… Well from the telepathic communications we've had he tends to be rather blunt and too the point, so I don't expect you'll have to wait much to learn whatever it is he wishes to talk with you about. I've heard about what he looks like when he takes human form, so I can tell you what to look out for while you wait for him to come to you."

Because of how she shifted the topic back towards the meeting with the two Dragon Gods, Natsu realized she was trying to move things along. He also had the sudden thought that some of the questions he had would be better for Ignia to answer. So with a small nod of his head he spoke.

"Please. I'd like to be able to tell the others to bring him to me if he tries to find me at the guild."

"Ignia, when he takes his human form is rather tall for a human. I'm not exactly sure, but I think I recall his height being described as roughly six and a half feet tall, with a body build similar to you, young Fire Dragon Slayer. But his hair is dark orange, and aside from bangs that frame his face his hair is spiky like yours. Since he is naturally warm, he'll likely be without a shirt so you'll be able to see a tattoo in the shape of a sun on his chest, and a tribal like series of tattoos on his left arm."

"Should be easy to recognize him then… How about the other Dragon God that is coming to meet with me?"

Natsu responded after a few minutes. The time was solely so he could commit the description to memory.

"The other one is Selene, the Moon Dragon God. But that is all I know. As I said when I mentioned her previously, the only thing we know about her is her power. Likely she'll ignore anyone and everyone and just walk right up to you, at least that's what Mercphobia said is going to happen."

"I see..."

Natsu muttered with a frown. He wasn't sure how to explain it to the rest of the guild, so he could only hope that when she arrived things wouldn't become chaotic.

"I know you have more questions, but I doubt that I could answer all of them. Besides, I've been holding out for far too long. The pain from having part of my soul ripped out… I can't push it aside and ignore it for any longer. No matter what I will not live another hour, so please… Please let me end things on my own terms."

Nephele begged. The two dragon slayers could hear the strain in her voice. They could feel the sincerity in her words. The pink haired man looked towards his blue haired companion. His eyes telling her that he could do it if she wasn't ready. But Wendy resolutely stepped forward. As she did, Natsu pulled the sleeping form of Carla out of Wendy's arms to hold so as to keep the white exceed safe.

"If it will help bring you peace, I'll take everything you have."

She commented, as the pale whitish blue Wyvern smiled gratefully.

"I forgot to ask your full name young Sky Dragon Slayer."

"I am Wendy Marvell, daughter of the Sky Dragon Grandeeney."

A smile came to Nephele's face at Wendy's words, as she gave a respectful nod.

"I see… Thank you, Wendy Marvell, the Sky Dragon Slayer. Thank you for allowing me to die at peace."

With her final words said the Wyvern took a deep breath, pooling all of her remaining power, and the last remnants of her soul together. When she unleashed her attack, it came out as a loud and forceful cry.

Opening her mouth and absorbing the attack as best she could Wendy stood strong in the middle of Nephele's roar.

"That's it Wendy. Stay strong. Even when it becomes painful, you have to keep going."

Natsu yelled out over the sound of Nephele's roar. While it was sound advice, Natsu wasn't trying to tell her how to gain a new element, it was meant as a cheer. It was affirming that Wendy was doing great, positive reinforcement in other words. Something he used to have to do often for the shy and timid girl. Though as she'd grown older some of that timidity had faded, Natsu still had to give her positive reinforcement occasionally.

Due to being a Dragon Slayer Wendy did hear Natsu's words. Happy and Carla who were put to sleep by magic so as to rest, wouldn't have been able to hear him if they were still awake. If there had been anyone else in the cavern they wouldn't have been able to either. That was how loud Nephele's roar was.

As he watched Wendy beginning to enter **Dragon Force** due to the massive influx of power she was receiving the pink haired man couldn't help but smile proudly. The Sky Dragon Slayer still had a lot of growing to do, but he knew she was taking steps in the right direction. Resolutely standing by her words, she took everything Nephele was throwing at her magic wise.

The strain from what she was doing was visible however. Her form was quivering as her muscles struggled to keep her body up. Recalling when he'd been in the same position back when he gained his **Earth** magic, Natsu started to move. Then he recalled after a few minutes of being in **Dragon Force** while his body acclimatized to the new magic the pain vanished and he started to recover. Even though Gajeel hadn't said anything about it when Natsu asked how it felt to gain a new power, the pink haired man was certain it was normal. So he stopped himself from stepping in.

**Hours Later**

Natsu and Wendy could just see Magnolia at the edge of their vision. Granted that didn't mean much considering how keen their eye sight was.

"I'm okay."

Wendy responded to Natsu's prodding for the umpteenth time. After Carla and Happy were woken up to help the two Dragon Slayers back down the mountain Natsu started questioning Wendy about how she was. Even though she followed through with her decision, he knew it could still shake her afterwords. Guilt at being the one to finish off Nephele. Shame over not trying to find a peaceful solution that didn't end with the nest of Wyverns dead, even when they were dying anyway. There were so many different emotions that could be tearing her apart that he had to make sure she was alright.

When she heard the story Carla joined in on the pestering. Not before ripping into Natsu for letting things happen that way. Though that lead to an argument. After all Wendy had turned 16 not long before. So Natsu did argue that letting Wendy make the decision was the least they could do. She was still young and inexperienced but Wendy couldn't be treated like a child forever.

"Are you sure?"

Carla questioned after hearing Wendy saying she was fine. She had to bite her tongue not to call Wendy 'Child' like she normally would. While she was unhappy with the whole situation, she knew that Natsu was right. Especially as she realized her constant fretting and coddling of Wendy may have contributed to the reason she was shy and timid.

"Yes Carla. I'm sure."

"It's okay if you aren't. You can tell us. We won't be mad."

"Sure I'm sad that things went the way they did, but it was the best possible choice. I don't regret it. So trust me. I'm okay."

Wendy responded, starting to feel a bit tired of the question being asked repeatedly.

Since her answer hadn't changed, and she hadn't snapped or gone completely quiet and sullen as they returned to Magnolia Natsu was inclined to believe her. Though he was planning to ask some of the others to help keep an eye on Wendy for a bit.

"Alright then. Take a few days to see just how much power you got from Nephele, maybe try figuring out exactly what your new element is. But take it slow, and take it easy. It might take a few days for you to get used to the new level of power before you can even start learning about your new element. So don't push yourself just yet."

The pink haired man said in a gentle yet strong tone. Having experienced gaining a secondary element, Natsu was offering as much advice as he could to the younger Dragon Slayer. At that point however the two Dragon Slayers were close enough that they could hear everything going on in town. Strangely there was one voice that stood out, yet neither of them could figure out why.

"You hear it too, right Natsu?"

Wendy questioned as they both tilted their heads in thought as they tried to listen closer.

"I know, I know that I took a risk but I figured this would be my only chance to talk to him before the council tries to send him after me."

'_Why does that voice sound so familiar?' _Natsu asked himself mentally as they approached Magnolia.

"It sounds like it's coming from your place Natsu."

Wendy said. Which was true. Given the time of day, Cana and Michiko were already back at home making dinner. The guild was still open of course, but because they had a family to raise Natsu and Cana left the last few hours before closing to Mira, Macao and Laxus when he was around.

So whoever it was had been studying Natsu's routines while he was helping Cana through the last few months of her pregnancy. He didn't know how to feel about that. If the person was an enemy, then he really wasn't happy that they could get inside his house. But the voice didn't sound threatening, and it did mention that the council is going to get involved. So he didn't think it was a dangerous situation just yet.

"I'll handle it Wendy. Head back to your dorm in Fairy Hills and take the night to relax. Happy, I want you to head to the guild. Find Mira, and Laxus if he's still in town and tell them I want to talk later."

Wendy was going to say she was S-class just like Laxus and Mira so it wouldn't be fair to tell them and not her. But then she realized he was accounting for her listening in due to her enhanced hearing. Laxus would have to be told because despite being a Dragon Slayer as well, he was a second gen slayer, so unless he trained them up like they did growing up, Laxus's senses wouldn't be as sharp.

So she nodded, Carla in tow as the blue haired Dragon Slayer returned to her dorm. Happy gave a quick 'Aye sir!' in response to Natsu's order before flying off.

Rapidly making his way home, Natsu gave a sigh of relief to see nothing had happened. There was no damage or anything to indicate a fight, which meant Cana and Michiko were alright. Of course he could sense that Cana was ready to use her magic if need be, but the other person didn't seem to be concerned. From what he could sense of the stranger they were calm and collected, likely trying to keep things peaceful so as not to risk upsetting someone.

Just in case something was wrong however Natsu did announce his return as he walked through the front door.

"I'm home!"

A bolt of purple and brown was all he saw before his daughter Michiko was clinging to his leg in a hug.

"Daddy!"

Paying close attention to her voice, Natsu noticed it was just filled with excitement to see him. So he figured that he could take things a little easier. But then Cana's voice called to him from the kitchen.

"We have a _guest_ dear."

She stressed the word guest, possibly as a hint to be on guard even though her voice also sounded calm.

As he rounded the corner however Natsu realized the real reason. His wife was warning him not to be on guard, but that he was going to be surprised. Walking into the kitchen with Michiko still clinging to his leg Natsu was face to face with Jellal.

Because he didn't want to do anything rash, Natsu quickly recovered from the shock he felt at seeing the blue haired man. But his eyes narrowed and he went into a protective mindset as he growled out.

"What brings you here Jellal?"

Holding up his hands in surrender the blue haired man quickly responded.

"I know you've got every right to be angry with me, especially given our history. But please hear me out."

Since Jellal didn't seem to mean any harm Natsu let out a sigh. Knowing that he'd tell her all about the talk later, Cana stood up and walked towards him. Gently prying Michiko from his legs she gestured towards the door to the backyard.

"I'm almost done with dinner. So why don't Michiko and I set the table while you two go talk outside."

Knowing she was trying to help make it so Natsu didn't have to worry as much if things went south, he nodded thankfully at his wife.

"Alright. Let's step outside Jellal."

As they exited Natsu's home, both men gained a serious expression on their faces.

"I know we haven't seen each other since you let me escape from the rune knights for Erza's sake. By the way, thanks for that. I know I have no right to say it, but she was one of my dearest friends, and I'm glad to see that Fairy Tail did it's best to keep her happy."

But Natsu didn't respond. After the day he had with Wendy, the pink haired man wanted nothing more than to send Jellal away and spend the rest of the night with his wife and daughter not thinking about anything.

"I've been wondering through Earthland since then. Mostly in Bosco to avoid the council. But in these last few years I've decided. You gave me a chance to redeem myself and I'm trying. Right now I'm just one person, but I have plans to form an independent guild. It'll focus on fighting dark guilds."

A small smile came to Natsu's face. He may not like Jellal, but he really was happy that the man was trying to atone.

"I came here to let you know, because to be honest, without more members, Fiore is the only country I can effectively fight against the dark guilds. Bosco is too corrupt to handle without a guild the size of Fairy Tail after all."

Unable to stay silent any longer Natsu finally spoke up.

"That's great and all, but why are you telling me this?"

A frown came to Jellal's face at that.

"I am still wanted by the council. When they get word that I'm active in Fiore again, they'll likely task the Wizard Saints with coming after me. Speaking of, I heard you got invited to the saints. Congrats."

Natsu understood what Jellal was trying to do. The blue haired man was hoping that Natsu wouldn't try to bring him in like the other saints would. He was trying to redeem himself, and if Natsu was honest Fiore needed him too. After fighting Jellal twice, he knew the man was strong. He definitely earned his spot as a Wizard Saint before it was revoked. With all the dark guilds in Fiore, Jellal's strength was a much needed assent to keep the country safe.

"Alright then. I'm pretty close with Jura, so I'll let him know that I heard through the grapevine that you had made a guild dedicated to fighting dark guilds to atone. He'll back off as well so you should get a bit more breathing room."

The pink haired man said with a smile. A matching one came to Jellal's face at those words.

"Thank you."

"Fiore needs all the help it can get to deal with the dark guilds anymore. Besides, now that I've seen you're trying to make up for your past, I'm willing to look passed our history and support you if you need it."

'_Not to mention, if the council is focused on him they won't question my two absurdly strong guests when the Dragon Gods arrive.' _He thought to himself as well.

"What's the name of your soon to be made guild?"

Natsu suddenly remembered to ask.

"I think I'll call it Crime Sorcière."

**Two Months Later**: **Magic Council Meeting Room**

"That bastard, ignoring our summons!"

One council member raged as they noticed that there was a missing person. Over the course of the last two months the council had been hosting regular meetings with the Wizard Saints to discuss and deal with Jellal and his newly formed 'Crime Sorcière'. Because he was still a wanted man, they didn't care about the fact the guild was independent. They treated it as if it were a dark guild, and several of them were frustrated at the lack of progress towards bringing him in. Of course these meetings were only with the 5th seat and lower, as the Ishgar Four were only brought in on national security and safety level threats.

"His wife is due to give birth any day now, cut the man some slack."

Jura retorted to the magic council member that was frustrated at the lack of one Natsu Dragneel at the meeting. Of course he also neglected to mention that he and Natsu would only actively move against Jellal in a public setting. Having met the man on the run a few times since his return to Fiore was announced to the saints, Jura was on the same page as Natsu.

Jellal was a much needed fighter to help deal with the dark guilds. Letting the council enforce their 'justice' on the man would help no one in the end. So Jura and Natsu both secretly offered their aide when Jellal needed it.

"Saint Jura is correct. Saint Dragneel had already informed us that he will not be active for us as a Wizard Saint, nor for his guild as an S-class member. Not until a few months have passed."

Another council member spoke up in defense of the missing man. Having already known that the raging council member gave a sigh.

"Yes, yes we all know that. We've known that for a while now. I'm just frustrated since our intel says Jellal is going to be active in the area around Magnolia soon."

Jura had to fake a cough to hide the smile that came to his face at those words. He knew it was because Jellal had managed to get Natsu to not only forgive him, but come to see him as a friend. So Jellal was going to be congratulating the pink haired man on the birth of his children. Of course Jura also planned to be in the area to do the same.

**Meanwhile**

Because Cana and Natsu both wanted to stay close to the guild, they had decided to use the guilds infirmary when Cana was ready to give birth. They trusted Porlyusica and Wendy to be able to get her through the labor.

Of course another reason was because the members of Fairy Tail were far more active now than before, there were less brawls destroying the guild so they had more money. Which meant the entire guild hall was improved upon. In fact Natsu would almost bet that their infirmary was better equipped than Magnolia's hospital. So after making sure Cana was alright the pink haired man strolled towards the open window.

"You know the council is going to have a field day when they hear you were here during a time I told them I wouldn't be active as a mage at all."

He spoke, not even bothering to look at the man hiding on the nearby tree branch.

"I'll be heading towards Dawn City to deal with some Dark Guilds. But I had to stop by. It's not every day that your friend's children are born."

"Yeah yeah. Seriously though I need you to move soon. I'm expecting some guests for things related to Dragon Slayer stuff. They're supposed to be ridiculously strong. If the council is focused on you they won't ask me about my guests."

Even though he said it, Natsu knew that one of the two Dragon Gods that he was expecting was already in Magnolia. He couldn't sense anything dragon like at all, but there was a new magic signature that he could feel and it made him sweat.

'_I'm glad they won't draw Acnologia since he doesn't bother unless it's a dragon. But seriously how in the hell are they so strong?'_ He thought to himself.

"That explains that monstrously powerful presence I feel. I know you're expecting them but still. With that level of power… Be careful Natsu."

Jellal commented.

"I will. Thanks for coming by."

The pink haired man stated as he withdrew from the window.

"Are you going to them?"

Cana asked as Natsu backed away from the window. She knew all about Natsu's upcoming meeting with the two Dragon Gods, and all about Jellal as well, which was why she wasn't surprised to hear the short talk he had with the blue haired man.

"Nah. I was told that they'd be coming straight to me anyway. I don't want to leave you in the dark on anything so if they want to talk they can do it here."

Of course she and Natsu were the only two in the room at the moment. But Wendy and Porlyusica had already been told about it. Wendy because she was there with Natsu when he found out about the meeting, and Porlyusica because they felt they could trust the elderly pink haired woman with the information.

"Oh."

She wasn't sure what to say. On one hand Cana was happy that Natsu trusted her enough to hear whatever dragon related buisness he and the Dragon Gods would be talking about. But on the other, she didn't think the setting or the time was right. After all Natsu should be focused on his soon to be born children.

"I'm going to go get something to eat, do you want anything?"

Natsu asked as he picked up Cana's hand and kissed it before moving towards the door to head back into the main hall of the guild.

"I'm fine for now. But I'll call if I want or need anything."

She responded as the door opened up and Porlyusica came in again. Because they didn't know exactly when Cana would go into labor, Porlyusica chose to stay at the guild so she'd be nearby and ready to move when it finally happened. Though that didn't stop her from grumbling about it. But neither Natsu nor Cana minded as they knew it wouldn't stop the woman from helping.

A smile came to Natsu face as he approached the bar. Kinana was serving people from the bar and Mira was the one carrying orders to the tables, but they had some help. Trotting along beside Mira, carrying a plate of food towards Laki was Michiko.

"Where'd you guys get the cute helper?"

Natsu joked with Kinana. Chuckling at him the purple haired girl answered.

"She was tired of playing with the doll house that Laki and Reedus made for her, so she asked if she could help Mira. It was so adorable."

"Yeah I know my daughter is a cutie."

After that Natsu placed a food order before finding a comfy spot at a table close to the door. When Michiko noticed him she pleaded with Mira to let her be the one to bring him his food. Which the guild chuckled at when they noticed.

"Here you go daddy!"

She said as she reached up on her tiptoe's to place his plate on the table. Before she could run back to help Mira Natsu laughed.

"This wasn't just for me you know. It's lunch time so come eat."

Since it was about lunch time, he figured it would be a good idea for Michiko to eat as well. Plus he did want to have a talk with her. Michiko was a smart girl, but he wanted to make sure she understood what was going on.

"You know how you'll be a big sister soon?"

Eagerly nodding her head as she drank the juice that Mira brought after seeing Natsu had gotten some of the food for Michiko as well, the little brunette couldn't have done a better job showing how excited she was.

"I just want you to know, we will have to spend a lot of time with them. Your siblings will need a lot of attention. But that doesn't mean we don't want you, or that we love you any less."

"I know daddy. Auntie Bisca and uncle Alzack told me. Babies need a lot of help."

Mentally thanking the two Natsu for their foresight on the matter, Natsu decided to just smile at his daughter. He was certain that she understood things were going to change, but knowing it was different from experiencing it. So even though she was okay with it, Natsu was planning to keep an eye on her.

At that point the door to the guild hall opened up. Since he had felt the presence getting closer, Natsu knew it was one of the Dragon Gods without even looking. But because he didn't know which one he tilted his head just enough to see them out of the corner of his eye.

Burnt orange colored hair. A red sun shaped tattoo on his bared chest and tribal markings on his arm. Loose fitting pants with a fur lining, and a golden cross shaped pendant hanging from a golden chain around his neck. Without a doubt Natsu was looking at the human form of Ignia.

"Hey Michiko, want to meet another uncle of yours?"

* * *

S.R: I'm not going to say anything. I don't want to risk spoiling the next few chapters. So I will see you all later.


	23. Chapter 23

S.R: It's been a while, my bad. I had forgotten to save all the edits I made after getting it back from my beta reader so I had to redo it all. But I've been a bit too busy until now. However I have a feeling this chapter will make up for it at least somewhat… So without further ado, here you go.

* * *

**Last Time**

At that point the door to the guild hall opened up. Since he had felt the presence getting closer, Natsu knew it was one of the Dragon Gods without even looking. But because he didn't know which one he tilted his head just enough to see them out of the corner of his eye.

Burnt orange colored hair. A red sun shaped tattoo on his bared chest and tribal markings on his arm. Loose fitting pants with a fur lining, and a golden cross shaped pendant hanging from a golden chain around his neck. Without a doubt Natsu was looking at the human form of Ignia.

"Hey Michiko, want to meet another uncle of yours?"

**This Time**

Ignia had heard his supposed brother's comment to the little girl that was sitting with him and snorted. It wasn't that he was against the idea or that he didn't like it. He just thought it was a bit funny to be labeled as such without having ever met Natsu before. Though the excitement that she displayed at the idea brought a smile to his face for some reason. Shaking his head Ignia moved to sit with the two.

"So we finally get to met face to face, little brother."

"Right. I'm glad to finally meet you Ignia. I can't say I've heard a lot about you though."

Michiko looked between the two in slight confusion about how they wouldn't know each other. But she didn't say anything as her daddy started to speak again.

"This is my daughter Michiko."

He said as he pulled the little girl into his lap from her seat beside him. Ignia smiled as he responded.

"_Beautiful_, eh? I imagine she'll be quite the looker when she's older, so it fits I guess."

The Dragon God commented with a smile as he knew exactly what her name meant. As a good chunk of what he wanted to talk with Natsu about was quite important, and likely something Selene also wished to discuss, Ignia just made small talk with the pink haired man and the little girl as they sat there.

After a little while Michiko climbed out of Natsu's lab. She had played a little bit with some her toys while they talked, but even that was boring to her. So she went back to helping Mira out with making food deliveries around the guild hall. The sight was enough to bring a smile to both Natsu and Ignia's faces. It was too cute to not be happy and smile at after all.

"So. How much of what you want to talk about are we waiting for Selene to talk about?"

"A fair bit. For now I just want proof that you are the one the old man picked as his heir."

Having expected at least a little bit of talk about that issue, Natsu nodded as he gestured for Ignia to follow him. When they got to the door Natsu called out.

"If something happens and we aren't back yet we'll be at my place Mira. I've got to grab some stuff for Ignia here."

Back when Natsu and Wendy told the guild about the meetings that had been set up, Natsu just explained that two powerful dragons that were in hiding from Acnologia had heard about him and wanted to talk. He mentioned their names, and of course Ignia's appearance so as to prevent any possible issues. So when she heard the name, Mira just nodded and said she'd keep an eye on Michiko.

As they exited the building Ignia commented about the guild.

"As far as I can tell your 'guild' is the strongest group of mages here in Fiore. Of course I can feel several other strong individuals but the majority of the power in this country is here."

"How strong are your magical senses?"

Confused as to why Natsu would ask him that Ignia tilted his head as he answered.

"I can sense that bastard Acnologia is in hiding up to the northern end of the country. Why?"

"In the sea to the south is an island that went missing. A powerful spell called **Fairy Sphere** engulfed the whole island and moved it to a pocket dimension a few years ago. Can you feel any traces of the spell?"

Natsu wondered. Eye's lighting up in realization of what Natsu wanted, Ignia shook his head sadly.

"Not really. That sea is full of eathernano, which makes it hard to pinpoint anything."

They would have kept walking but another presence made itself known to them as Natsu almost bumped into a dark haired woman.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I didn't see you there."

"It's alright. I completely suppressed my magic, so unless you were looking right at me you wouldn't have noticed anyway."

She responded as she brushed a her hair away from her face, letting Natsu see her eyes. Orbs of starlight, twinkling starlight. That's what he thought when he saw her eyes. Though he did have to correct himself when he noticed the inky blackness hidden by the glow. The woman's eyes were as if he were looking at the nighttime sky.

"You're Selene aren't you."

Ignia gave a start at that. She wasn't kidding when she said she completely suppressed her magic. He couldn't feel a drop of it from her, and that was the only way he'd have been able to tell it was her. As one of the most reclusive dragons he'd ever met, he didn't' know what she looked like or sounded like. Only what her magic felt like.

Eyes like the night sky, and glossy silver hair. Very distinct features, but given the fact no one bothered to give her a second glance, Ignia and Natsu both felt like she was doing something to avoid drawing attention. Which was something Natsu commented on.

"Quick witted. I'd heard you weren't the sharpest tool in the shed, but it seems you decided to improve yourself."

She chuckled as she nodded that Natsu was correct. Brushing her words off, Natsu explained how he and Ignia were heading towards his home so he could show Ignia the proof he had that Igneel had acknowledged him as the heir to the throne of the Fire Dragon King.

"But that's all we're doing. I don't want to keep anything from my mate, so when we're done we'll be heading back to the guild so she can be part of the talk."

"What if she goes into labor during our talk? There are several things to discuss and I have no doubt that Ignia and I both will be sticking around for a few days afterwords anyway."

Selene pressed. She could understand Natsu's desire to not keep anything from his mate. But given the situation she wasn't sure it was wise to include his mate in the talks.

"What do you want me to do then? I won't budge on Cana knowing everything we talk about. It's just far easier for her to be part of the conversation."

Natsu responded. There wasn't enough heat to his voice for her to feel like he was frustrated or angry, though. But Ignia was the one with a solution.

"Why not use a recording lacrima and have her listen to it when she gets a chance?"

"… I guess that works. But we will be having this talk at the guild hall. Even if it's something that needs to stay between us."

Ignia and Selene both had a feeling that Natsu had a particular location in the guild already in mind. Which was true. After they got the guild in gear and managed to save up enough money to start improving the guild hall the spent a lot of time and effort sprucing the place up. Not only did they build an add-on to the guilds library, improve the quality of the furniture, and renovate the guild masters office, Natsu and Cana also built several meeting rooms, enlarged the guilds money vault, along with several other projects that only the S-class were allowed to know about.

By this point Natsu had finally lead the two Dragon Gods to his front door. Since there was no one stupid enough to even attempt to steal from him and his family, Natsu and Cana typically left it unlocked. So without missing a beat he opened it while moving and walked straight to the stairs. Taking them down into his basement, Natsu opened the door to his private training room. Because they didn't want to risk anything happening with Michiko now that she was old enough to play in the forest so long as someone was keeping an eye on her, Natsu had dug out a massive cavern and connected it to their basement.

This cavern was where he would do all of his training, so that he could be uninterrupted. It also held several chests and a couple bookshelves. Some of the older and more dangerous tomes that he and Cana had found while renovating the guild hall were on those shelves. Along with the few things he had from his time with Igneel.

Only Cana, Gajeel, and Wendy knew about it, but Igneel had left Natsu with more than just his treasured scarf. The scarf was just the only thing he could talk about with non Dragon Slayers.

Ignia and Selene both zeroed in on a bookshelf in particular, their senses easily noticing the special tomes that Natsu had placed on the bookshelf. Whistling as he noticed exactly which books they were Ignia spoke up.

"Wow, pops left you some interesting things."

Selene nodded, though she was particularly interested in a book that had a black binding. She wondered how it had come to be in Igneel's possession, in order for it to have been passed to the pink haired man that was in front of her.

But Natsu ignored the curious look she sent him as he grabbed a fiery red book from the shelf and opened it to the last page that had anything written on it. Presenting the page to Ignia and Selene, Natsu closed his eyes. He had memorized it long ago. In perfect draconic he read.

"(I Igneel, the current Fire Dragon King, have adopted one Natsu Dragneel as my son and Dragon Slayer, for reasons pertaining to securing my legacy. Natsu Dragneel is my chosen heir, and from the moment these words are inscribed he shall hold the title of Fire Dragon Prince. Upon his 30th year, he shall be allowed to lay his claim on my throne as tradition dictates.)"

Since they had the proof right in front of them both Dragon Gods nodded, accepting Natsu's tie to Igneel's throne. But as they looked at him, the two realized Natsu didn't seem to be old enough to lay his claim just yet.

"How old are you right now Natsu?"

Ignia asked, wondering how much longer they would have to wait to have a legitimate Dragon King on the throne, rather than it sitting empty.

"I'm almost 27 now. So a little over 3 years until I can take the crown and throne."

'_Biologically at least.'_ Selene thought to herself as she tried her best not to snort. Ignia glared at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking. He didn't want that revelation to be the first thing they discussed, despite the fact he knew they had to tell Natsu about it. The information was too important for him to be ignorant.

"That is among the things we have to discuss. But we should hold off on talking until you are ready."

Ignia said, quickly cutting off Selene who had opened her mouth. Since he had a point she closed her jaw and nodded.

"Alright, let's head back then. I want to check in with Cana before we start talking anyway."

**A Few Hours Later**

The guild hall had quieted down, despite the fact they were partying. Natsu and the Dragon Gods had returned to the Fairy Tail guild hall mere moments before Cana went into labor. Unwilling to leave her side, Natsu stayed by his wife until Porlyusica kicked him out of the room stating "They need some sleep so stop bothering them!"

Because he couldn't stay by Cana's side after being kicked out of the room by Porlyusica Natsu found Ignia and Selene just sitting in the guild common room. Even though he knew what she looked like Natsu took the time to properly study her appearance. Her silver hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail whille her bangs framed her face. Ignoring her twinkling eyes he looked at the rest of her. Selene's figure reminded him a lot of Cana, except a the Dragon God was a bit more slender and less curvy. Natsu realized she reminded him a lot of his wife as he recalled that he once convinced his wife to wear a kimono just like the one the Dragon God wore. Except Selene's kimono was a simple and clean white color with black trim. Her obi was a dash of color since it was a nice soft yellow. On each sleeve there was a black circle that housed a yellow crescent moon.

"Are you going to stare at us all night, or are we going to start our talk?"

Ignia asked after a bit. Since he could hear the impatience, Natsu lead Ignia and Selene towards one of the multiple meeting rooms they had built in the guild hall. Activating the magic circle that sound proofed the room, Natsu sat plopped down into a chair with a sigh.

"Parenthood is stressful is it not?"

Selene commented with a wry grin, knowing exactly what Natsu was going through.

"Wait you know what it's like to have a child?"

Ignia asked shocked by the revelation. He hadn't met Selene or Viernes before, but he had assumed they were the same age as himself, Mercphobia and Aldoron.

"Yes. Viernes and I are quite old actually. Viernes was my sister Solari's mate before she was defeated and killed by Acnologia centuries ago."

Natsu was only half listening, his mind still on his two newborn children. But he was giving enough attention to still converse.

"So you're the same generation as Igneel then?"

A small smile came to her face before Selene let her voice out.

"Nope. I must be doing something right if you both thought I was younger than I am," she got out before chuckling. When she was done laughing at the idea she continued "But I am old enough to be Igneel's mother. In fact Solari was Igneel's mother. In other words I am your great aunt boys."

Ignia and Natsu both felt their jaws hit the floor. '_Holy shit!'_ they thought, completely unaware that their minds were in sync. Knowing that they were shocked Selene just smiled softly.

"That is one of the things I wished to talk with you about Natsu. But that can wait until we've officially congratulated you on the birth of your children."

"She's right. Pops made sure you knew about Dragon culture, I have no doubt about it. Family matters always come first when there are multiple discussions to be had. Especially when it involves hatchlings."

Ignia commented having recovered from the shock at finding out he was related to Selene. Natsu still took another moment to regain himself but when he did a grin stretched across his face from ear to ear.

"Thank you. It means a lot to have both of you here right now."

"Speaking of hatchlings, have you and your mate decided on their names yet?"

Selene asked. Ignia and Natsu both sweatdropped at the sudden eagerness she was displaying. Sharing a look they communicated with just their eyes.

'_Why do women always like to talk about babies?'_

'_I have no idea, that's just the way it is. Get used to it.'_

Shaking his to get his thoughts back in order Natsu turned to face Selene as he replied.

"Yeah… One son and one daughter. In honor of her mother, Cana and I decided to name our little girl Cornelia. As for our son, we took a while to figure it out. In the end, because they're twins we decided to use a male name from the same region Cornelia is from, so our son is Dante."

"Cornelia and Dante Dragneel… Not bad, not bad."

Ignia said after a moment. But Natsu shook his head.

"When Cana and I got married the human way we took each other's last names. So actually they're Cornelia and Dante Alberona Dragneel."

* * *

S.R: Yeah this chapter is shorter than the last few (and one of the shortest in general for this particular story), but trust me when I say it was a better idea to cut it there. I don't want to spoil any of it, so I won't say anything else. Anyway, I'll see you all next time!


	24. Chapter 24

S.R: Okay, so this chapter is going to be an info dump. Also as a quick note, I've answered about changing the ages of Natsu and Cana to fit the story idea better, but I've decided to change it for a few others as well, though it's not the exact same difference for everyone. Examples being that in canon Cana was 18 before the S-class trials, but in this story she was 24 (she's current 28. In this story Natsu is a few months younger and is 27). While Wendy was 12 in canon, but in this story she was 14. Wendy is currently 18 in the story.

* * *

**Last Time**

"Speaking of hatchlings, have you and your mate decided on their names yet?"

Selene asked. Ignia and Natsu both sweat-dropped at the sudden eagerness she was displaying. Sharing a look they communicated with just their eyes.

_'Why do women always like to talk about babies?'_

_'I have no idea, that's just the way it is. Get used to it.'_

Shaking his to get his thoughts back in order Natsu turned to face Selene as he replied.

"Yeah… One son and one daughter. In honor of her mother, Cana and I decided to name our little girl Cornelia. As for our son, we took a while to figure it out. In the end, because they're twins we decided to use a male name from the same region Cornelia is from, so our son is Dante."

"Cornelia and Dante Dragneel… Not bad, not bad."

Ignia said after a moment. But Natsu shook his head.

"When Cana and I got married the human way we took each other's last names. So actually they're Cornelia and Dante Alberona Dragneel."

**This Time**

"I see. Those are some lovely names."

Selene commented with a smile on her face. Ignia nodded his head in agreement but he had a somewhat serious face instead of smiling.

"Even though Igneel had to teach you your **Dragon Slayer** magic, there is a chance your children will inherit it. They won't be as strong, but if your children do inherit **Dragon Slaying** magic, then it will be far more wild and uncontrolled."

Since it was important knowledge he knew it had to be shared before the pink haired man could find out because of an accident. After all untrained use of **Dragon Slayer** magic would lead to a lot of destruction and chaos.

Nodding, Natsu mentioned that he was aware of the possibility thanks to some of the secret tomes that Igneel had left him. After that they talked a little bit about the children, and what Natsu should teach them about from dragon culture if they were normal wizards and not Dragon Slayers.

Even though they were family, there are things that non Dragon Slayers aren't allowed to know. Despite the fact Natsu shared a lot of the stories and culture with Cana after they got together, he respected the fact there were secrets that she could not know about and hadn't told her. So he agreed that things would be the same should his newborn twins not inherit his magic.

"You know, it feels nice to be able to talk about everything Igneel left me. Since everything is relating to Dragon culture and other things that aren't shared with outsiders I've had to lie to the guild that my scarf is the only thing he left me."

From everything they've heard about him, Selene and Ignia both knew that he hated that he had to lie to his friends about what Igneel had left for him. However Selene sighed. Since family was a topic that needed to come first in any discussion, she knew that before they could move on to the thing she wanted to talk about, she would have to tell Natsu where Igneel really was.

"That could have been true if you were talking in terms of physical objects, but Igneel did leave you his magic."

Ignia didn't say anything. Because he knew exactly what his newly discovered grand aunt was trying to talk about he just watched his adoptive brother carefully. He knew that there was a chance he'd have to step up and calm the pink haired man down, if he reacted poorly to this topic and or the topic it would lead into.

"That is true, and I am very proud to wield my **Fire Dragon Slayer** magic."

It was an obvious statement, just from the little time they'd spent with him, Ignia and Selene both knew it was a perfect fit for his personality. Though his words did give Selene an idea. Leading the conversation in a way that she could explain things in a more peaceful way, she used her tone of voice to make it sound like cautionary words of advice when she spoke again.

"The more a Dragon Slayer uses their magic the more their magic tries to change them."

"Right, we essentially become half dragon."

Ignia shook his head at Natsu's quick response and Selene close her eyes with a frown.

"That's not quite right. The process doesn't stop there... At least it wouldn't if there wasn't something preventing it."

The room was silent as Natsu absorbed that tidbit of information. Proud smiles were hidden from the pink haired man as the two dragons noticed that he seemed to have an epiphany of sorts.

"You mean, Igneel and the other dragons that vanished that day are doing something that prevents us slayers from becoming full fledged dragons?"

He asked after a moment, getting nods from both Selene and Ignia.

"But why?"

Sighing heavily Ignia was the one that answered.

"Because the process warps your mind. I can't say it was solely because of becoming a dragon so suddenly, but it was a large part of the cause of Acnologia's insanity. He was the very first Dragon Slayer. But during the Dragon Civil war he was betrayed. In order to get his revenge Acnologia began to slaughter every dragon he could. Bathing in their blood as he killed them was enough to jump start his shift into a dragon and it caused him to snap… Seeing what it did to him, it was decided that no Dragon Slayer was allowed to mutate into a dragon like he had."

Natsu understood, because it had happened once and there was no proof it couldn't happen again, the idea of outlawing it made sense. Now that he knew why Igneel had left him all those years ago, he was relieved. Though he had never admitted it, and refused to acknowledge it, deep down Natsu feared that Igneel left because he didn't want him. Deep down he feared that he had been abandoned by his adoptive father, just like his birth family had done. Granted that fear was only from a very, very small piece of him. Yet there was still one all important question that he needed to ask. So as calmly as he could, Natsu looked to the two Dragon Gods.

"I understand all that and I can see that it's important Igneel left to do this… But _where_ did he go?"

Heavily stressing the word where, Natsu carefully watched Ignia and Selene, worried it might be something they didn't want to tell him. Both of them frowned at his question, and his face fell. They knew. The two Dragon Gods knew where Igneel was, but they weren't saying.

The Fire Dragon God saw the look on Natsu's face and coughed. Hesitantly, Ignia finally gave a reply.

"It's not that we don't want to tell you, or that we aren't going to, Natsu. It's.. difficult."

Selene decided to give a proper explanation of the situation, so as to help the pink haired man understand why they had frowned and given pause instead of instantly answering his question about Igneel's whereabouts.

"That is correct. Sadly, we are unable to handle Acnologia ourselves. Not just out of fear, but because the Gods have decried that he is to be handled by mankind. As he has become a Dragon, the only way man has a chance is you Dragon Slayers. But even if all of you were equal to us, the Dragon Gods, you wouldn't stand a chance. The reason is because none of you have actually finished your training."

Even though he was looking at her when she spoke up, Natsu wasn't quite grasping what she was trying to say.

"You Dragon Slayers could have the power to actually rival a dragon and you still wouldn't be able to kill it simply because you aren't on the right level. Your training is half finished. Because you are not _our_ slayer, we have no right to teach you. Which means you have to finish your training with Igneel. Yet given everything you've learned, and everything that has happened today… Distressing you is not something we want to do right now."

With that said, Natsu realized what they were getting at. They wanted and needed to tell him where Igneel had gone. They just weren't sure how. Or more likely, given his current emotional state, they weren't sure how he would take the news. Which would make sense, as even he noticed his emotions were on high alert now that his children had been born.

"Right. We can talk about Igneel's location later then. After things settle down and you don't have to be worried about how I'll take it."

"We can talk about the rest later as well. It is late, and I can sense your desire to be close to your mate. We've already shared a great deal of knowledge, so it might be best to stop for a bit and let you wrap your mind around it all."

Selene commented with a gentle smile on her face as Ignia stood up from his seat and started to stretch. Without meaning too Natsu mirrored Ignia's moves, though he had a sheepish grin on his face as he looked to Selene.

"Cana will be staying in the guild infirmary for a few days while we make sure the twins are perfectly healthy so I'll be staying here with them. But if you go downstairs and find they blue haired woman, Wendy, she can take you to my place and you can stay there while you are here in Magnolia."

The pink haired man offered as Selene stood up from her chair as well. Understanding that Natsu wanted time with his wife and newborn children, without extra company Ignia and Selene both accepted his offer. As they left the conference room, a glance at the clock told them that they'd been in the room far longer than the three of them had thought. It was almost time for the guild to start closing up for the night.

Despite their confusion about how much time had passed, the two Dragon Gods nodded as they bid Natsu good night before making their way down into the lobby of the guild hall. Natsu says his good night to them as he wonders towards the infirmary were Cana and their newborn children were sleeping.

Wondering into the room he noticed Cana was still awake. Mira was trying and failing to pry a sleepy Michiko from her spot. Just by looking Natsu could tell she didn't want to leave her new brother and sister just yet.

"Daddy, tell auntie Mira to stop being a meanie and let me stay."

Michiko called to him when she notices his presence in the doorway. He had to fight the bubbling of laughter that was building up in his chest when he noticed Mira pouting at being called a meanie. Smiling as he fully walked into the room he nodded to Mira as he sat down beside Cana.

"It's alright. Besides, you were planing to stay here tonight as well right? Just in case we needed help with the twins. Might as well let Michiko stay too."

Cana didn't say anything, but Mira read on her friends face that she was going to go along with whatever Natsu said since she was too tired to think for herself. Shrugging the white haired woman stopped trying to pull the little brunette out of the room with her.

"If you need me I'll be downstairs."

She commented. Recalling that they had added on a few bedrooms for when guests came to the guild, Natsu nodded as Mira left the room. Even though he wanted nothing more than to curl up on the bed with Cana, he waited until Michiko had fallen asleep in the infirmary bed that was on his other side, solely because he didn't want to have to get back up to tuck her in after he himself laid down.

When he did finally lay down beside his wife, Natsu pulled her close as his arms snaked around her. As she was already starting to nod off, he laid a gently kiss on her forehead and mumbled "good night" as he closed his eyes.

**The Next Morning**

Natsu woke up as sunlight streamed through the window, dancing across his face. While they slept Cana had snuggled in closer to him, making it impossible for him to move without waking her up. But he didn't mind, as it was quite comfy. Plus he really enjoyed the little moments, when he could relax and not have anything to worry about. Though he should have been worried about getting a peaceful night now that he and Cana had two babies to take care of. Then the haze left his mind as he recalled the reason he could be so peaceful. Mira and Bisca both stayed at the guild to watch over and take care of Cornelia and Dante for the night, mostly so that Cana and Natsu could have a peaceful night for the first time in a few months.

"Morning Natsu."

He heard as the two women finally noticed his stirring. Both of them had a baby in their arms, feeding them. Neither one of them seemed to have been too tired, so he figured it might have been a better night than they'd all been expecting.

"Morning Bisca. Morning Mira."

Before anyone could say anything else the door to the room opened up and four figures walked in. Porlyusica, Wendy, Ignia, and Selene. Wendy's eyes were sparkling as she animatedly talked in a soft tone with the two Dragon Gods. Porlyusica was ignoring them and quickly made her way towards Mira and Bisca intending to check up on the babies once more.

As he knew Porlyusica would need him to move so she could check up on Cana, Natsu slowly untangled himself from her, as he tried not to shift too much. He was unsuccessful though as she groaned when she felt the warmth that he generated leave her side.

"Natsu, come back to bed..."

She mumbled, though as he knew her better than the rest of the group, Natsu knew it wasn't her sleep talking voice. She was partially awake.

"But it's time to get up."

He said out loud before leaning in and whispering in her ear with taunting smirk on his face 'Unless you don't want me to make breakfast?'

"Dammit Natsu don't tease me like that!"

She commented as she sat up almost eagerly. She had noticed the other voices in the room, and knew it was just Natsu's way of showing them she was already waking up anyway. Which was why she played along with him, faking being embarrassed by his whisper.

Even though Natsu had told them about his two guests, Mira and Bisca were both rather cautious as they studied the two that Wendy seemed to be getting along with. After Cana had finished stretching and waking up they did give the two little ones over to her, but continued to stand in front of her in a protective stance. Noticing their guarded attitude towards Ignia and Selene, Natsu sighed.

"Mira, Bisca it's alright. Remember I told you I had guests coming to discuss things related to draconic culture? That's them."

"We know."

They responded in unison.

"Then you can relax. Even if they were bitter enemies, family will not harm family."

Wendy commented, as she tried to help. After all even if Ignia and Selene understood just how close the guild was and how protective they were over each other, there was still a chance they would take offense.

"Family?"

Porlyusica commented, as she finished her examination of Cana and the twins. Despite the fact she wanted to leave already, she couldn't deny the fact she was intrigued as to how Natsu knew the two exceptionally powerful beings that were standing beside the younger Dragon Slayer.

In response to her prompting the dark orange haired man spoke up, as the dark haired woman beside him nodded.

"Yeah. Natsu was raised by my old man, Igneel. He and I are brothers, and as we found out yesterday, Selene is our great aunt" here he paused quickly glancing towards the women in the room. Seeing their confusion about how they could be in a human form despite being dragons, he continued "now before you ask, when we dragons become strong enough we can use a special type of transformation spell that not only changes our appearance but the feel of our magic."

Even though they weren't sure if they believed it or not, Mira and Bisca did relax a bit, as the body language of the two dragons showed they were no threat. In fact Ignia seemed to be looking towards Natsu as if he were a proud older brother, and Selene had a twinkle in her eyes that made it seem like she just wanted to fawn over the babies.

Cana wasn't even looking towards the two Dragon Gods as she knew them. Natsu had already told her about his connection with Ignia, but he didn't say anything about Selene last night. So instead she was looking at her husband with a raised eyebrow. Seeing her look he sighed.

"I was going to tell you but, you were already partially asleep."

He offered with an apologetic smile.

* * *

S.R: Yeah, we're going to have a few chapters worth of story with Ignia and Selene in town. Mostly because I have a lot of things for them to explain and set up with Natsu. Because it's going to be a lot of dialogue I figured it was better to break it into chunks. Anyway I'll see you guys next time.


	25. Chapter 25

S.R: Okay, so I was planning to drag things out a few chapters before getting back to canon material with the end of the 7 year time skip. I have it written out, but honestly, I don't like it and I just want to move on already…. So, we're going to say goodbye to Ignia and Selene, and then flash forward to the end of the time skip. Also this is a week late and it's completely my fault. I had uploaded it on here and I thought I posted it. My bad. Any who, let's get on with it.

* * *

A week and a half had passed, and Natsu learned quite a bit from the Dragon Gods. Some of the news was shared with Wendy, as it was something he felt she also deserved to know. But beyond that there were several things that the older duo had informed him of.

Because Igneel was gone and they suspected he would be until long after it was time for Natsu to claim the crown, and because his throne had been empty for so long, Natsu would have to show his worth to ascend to the throne when he was old enough. There would be several trials, and before he could officially do anything after being accepted he would have to assemble his own council. As one of the oldest dragons still living Selene gave him sound advice on how to go about choosing his council, since there would be a lot of work.

At first Natsu tried to argue that it wasn't important, as he didn't want to take Igneel's place as the Dragon King, and that if he absolutely had to his first decree would be to put someone else in his seat. But Selene and Ignia both flat out refused that idea.

'It may fall to the Dragon Slayers to deal with Acnologia, but as that is essentially declaring war, you can't do anything other than self defense without the consent of the Dragon King.' They claimed, both also mentioning that aside from a few key duties the title of Dragon King was mostly ceremonial and wouldn't really affect his life.

When he finally relented to accept the responsibility he did add in a stipulation. Natsu would take the crown so that he could declare war on Acnologia, ONLY should he feel like the Dragon Slayers had the ability to fight and win against The Apocalypse Dragon.

By the end of the second week Ignia and Selene had been in Magnolia the trio had finally finished with all of their discussions.

"So… We've finally gone through everything that we needed to."

Natsu said with a sigh as he and Cana stood side by side facing the two Dragon Gods.

"I really do wish we could stay for longer, but I don't think it'd be wise. I may be hiding my power but Ignia isn't, and it does draw attention."

Huffing at the fact she seemed frustrated that he didn't know the technique she was using to do the same, Ignia looked away as Selene spoke.

Natsu just nodded, though his smile was not quite as bright and lively as it normally would be.

"Since it will likely be a long time before we can meet again, I think I'll leave you with a couple gifts."

The Mood Dragon God, continued on. Since she was suppressing her magic presence, the only clue she was using her magic was the bright flash of light. When it faded, her hands were out towards the couple, and a couple bags were being held out.

"One of these bags is for you, one is for Wendy as I would feel bad leaving her out, and the last well… It's more of a just in case you need it. But I won't spoil what the gifts are."

'_Just in case my ass… One of those twins will be a Dragon Slayer no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Though I wonder how long she's had a lacrima ready to go if it was needed… __Eh, I can think about that later. I've got a gift of my own to give.__' _Ignia thought to himself before stepping forward while Cana accepted the bags as Natsu was busy hugging Selene.

He intended to shake Natsu's hand but the pink haired man pulled him in for a hug instead. Since it would still work, he lightly partially activated his magic, before letting it settle on the his brother. As they separated Natsu just quirked an eyebrow.

"I can't teach you anything until you're training with pops is done. But I can lend you both the knowledge and the power to try some of my magic. It's an old spell, one that takes one dragon's magic and crystallizes it before embedding it into another dragon's body as a tattoo. It's far safer, and far less painful than it would be to do it with an actual lacrima despite technically being the same thing."

As he spoke Ignia motioned for Natsu to bare his chest. As he did the group looked on as the same tribal sun tattoo that was on Ignia's abdomen appeared on Natsu's, though it was a bit more wild looking, almost as if the 'flames' were more wild and uncontrolled.

"The only problem with this method, until you've gotten used to drawing the magic from it, you can only use the same magic it was made by. It'll feel weird for a bit since your fire is far more controlled than mine is."

Once more hugging his adoptive brother Natsu thanked the two Dragon Gods, both for their gifts, and for the past two weeks. Getting to meet them, and learning everything they had shared with him, it was something he was extremely grateful for.

**Hours Later**

Natsu had handed the bag that was for Wendy over to his blue haired sister before escorting his wife and their newborn twins home. After they had gotten settled in for the night he carefully crept out of bed and down to his training cavern that was attached to his basement.

"So she did catch on."

He commented as he noticed the gift that Selene had commented was 'just in case'. It was a solid black lacrima with pools of twinkling white light. Given the fact it felt exactly like her magic, he knew what it was for. If neither Cornelia nor Dante inherited his affinity for **Fire** magic, but were still able to be a Dragon Slayer, he could use the black tome that was hidden among his collection of ancient Draconic items. They would become a Moon Dragon Slayer. So 'just in case' she had given him a Moon Dragon Lacrima. Granted her real gift for him was a Fire Dragon Lacrima as well. Sighing heavily Natsu began to move towards the ornate keyed chest in the corner of the room before he noticed that there was still more in the bag she had specified was for him. There was a map with a couple locations circled, and a note.

The note read as such '_This was a lacrima made by my twin sister and Igneel's mother. Igneel has the exact same fire she did, so all this would really do for you is increase the size of your magic container._

_I don't know if Ignia and I stressed it enough, but you ar__e__ going to be the one that leads the fight against Acnologia_. _There is no doubt that Acnologia will eventually target you, as he desires to wipe out all remains of dragon kind. No other Slayer is as strong as you or even has the same potential you do. Besides you will grow stronger still and it will draw him to you. This lacrima is the only weapon I can give you in order to help prepare for that fight._

_T__he map is so you can search for a few key material needed to get into a secret temple to learn a special spell that will help you see Igneel again should you wish to try and see him before his job of preventing you from become a dragon is over._

_Sincerely, _

_Selene_

_P.S. - I know you'll peak at what I said was 'just in case' and realize that it's a lacrima to go with the __black tome on your bookshelf.__ Unless the twins can not learn my magic without it, do not use the Lacrima (and preferably not until after Acnologia is dealt with). It was made ages ago and has absorbed errant magic for over three centuries now, so whoever uses it will gain a massive influx of power as their magic container increases, enough so that they will draw all kinds of unwanted attention.'_

After reading the note Natsu wasn't sure how to feel. Of course Ignia and Selene both heavily stressed that the Dragon Slayers would be the ones that had to fight Acnologia. He really didn't want to, but because they wouldn't let the topic drop he did end up accepting the responsibility. However he was only verbally agreeing. Every time the idea was brought up his mind would say '_Just make them happy. You don't have to do anything. You can't do anything, because you can't afford to leave your family alone._'

"I don't know if I can handle that responsibility."

He finally muttered to himself. Had anyone been around to hear him they would have been shocked. Natsu never backed down, and was always so confident, they'd say the pink haired man was someone that didn't even know what the word doubt meant. That was just because no one had ever seen Natsu reach his limit. So really it should be expected to hear him say he wasn't so sure he could deal with Acnologia. After all, he already had so many other things to be responsible for, that adding something else to the list should be concerning.

**Year X791- April 1st**

Three years had passed since the two Dragon Gods had visited, and not much had happened for the mages of Fairy Tail. Really the only big change was that Natsu's moniker of 'The Salamander' was swapped out after he became the 6th seated Wizard Saint. Because he revealed his combination of **Fire** and **Earth** magic, he people started hailing him as the 'Volcanic Dragon'.

Fairy Tail was still hailed as the strongest guild in Fiore though other guilds had been growing in fame. Of course with Mira, Laxus, Natsu, Jet, Droy, and Wendy as S-class it made sense. Most other guilds only had 3 or 4 S-class wizards. Though they had the most A-class wizards as well with Bisca, Alzack, Max, Warren, Macao, Wakaba, Laki, and Reedus. Cana also fell under that category but as she was the guild master she didn't count.

"Mommy? You have a guest."

Cana heard as someone knocked on the door to her office. The little voice of Cornelia making her smile.

"Thank you sweetie. Come on in."

With that the door opened, and her daughter escorted in a familiar face.

"Hello master Dragneel."

"Good afternoon Ichiya. What brings you to Fairy Tail today?"

"I bring interesting news. As master Bob said we would continue to monitor the waters around where Tenrou Island was. We've gotten some very weird readings."

Cana just raised an eyebrow at that.

"It's ethernano water. Shouldn't you be used to weird readings?"

"That's not quite what I meant. Because it's ethernano we don't normally get any specific results, as our readings just indicate 'pure magic'. This time though, we've managed to get it to pick up on a new kind of magic, one that doesn't have a precise label. Something is going on, and master Bob sent me to let you know."

Ichiya explained with a smile. He could tell this news was making the brunette's day, as she finally started to smile.

"I know Fairy Tail raised enough money to buy a new boat to sail towards the island when it reappeared, but master Bob said you could borrow the Christina. At least one of us from Blue Pegasus has to be with you though as no one besides a member can pilot it."

Cana was smiling from ear to ear by this point.

"It's a good thing most of our members are supposed to be getting back from jobs today. Can I ask you to come back tomorrow, with the Christina?"

Nodding his head with a pleased grin Ichiya just responded "Of course."

**The Next Day**

Cana had gathered a small group to head out on the Christina. As the current guild master she felt it was her duty to go, not that anyone would have argued against it. Natsu was coming along too, because he wanted to be there for his wife should things turn out differently from their expectations. Laxus and Mira both volunteered to stay back at the guild, with the white haired woman offering to keep an eye on Cornelia, Dante, and Michiko.

The finalized version of the group that had been picked up by Ichiya and the Trimens who were piloting the Christina was simple. Cana, Natsu, Wendy, Jet, Droy, and Warren.

"It really means a lot that you guys are helping us."

Cana commented to the Blue Pegasus members as they scanned the area around them.

"It's nothing. After all we were close with them too."

Eve, the Trimen that was sitting closest to the group of Fairy Tail wizards responded.

"Uh, is it just me or is there really a little blonde girl standing on top of the water over there?"

Hibiki commented as he pointed for the others to see.

True to his words there was a small blonde figure lightly standing on top of the water. Her pink dress fluttered in a slight breeze despite the fact her hair didn't flutter at all. Large green eyes looked back at them as her mouth opened.

At first no one heard anything, but then a soft voice echoed through the air.

"Help them."

With that the girls right arm raised into the air, and the water behind her shook as an absolutely massive sphere appeared as if it was rising from the waves. The faint golden barrier was sparkling, though everyone could see an island inside of it.

Several people fell to their knees as tears formed in their eyes, the joy in seeing the return of Tenrou island completely overwhelming them.

"Whoa!"

The young voice of Michiko sounded out from behind them, causing both Cana and Natsu to turn.

"Michiko what are you doing here? You should be back at the guild."

Cana asked with a concerned face. Natsu was torn between wanting to scold his oldest child and laughing at the fact she had sneaked behind everyone's back to be there.

"You said there was a chance you'd be bringing everyone home, so I wanted to see."

The 8 year old responded. It didn't really shock anyone to hear her reason. The guild was never shy about stories with the group that had disappeared with Tenrou Island, so it made perfect sense that she'd be interested in them.

"Haaa… Okay, just stay close to us okay? No going off on your own."

With a sigh Cana relented to the idea. It wasn't like they could turn around and take her back. The spell protecting Tenrou was gone and they probably noticed the Christina already. To turn away now would give the wrong impression.

About twenty minutes later they had Ichiya and the Trimens park the Christina and let them off on the beach. Natsu was the first one off, with Michiko on his shoulders. Cana followed a step behind him, and just behind her was the others.

"Warren, call out to master Makarov with your **Telepathy**. Let him know we're coming to them."

The dark haired man nodded in response as their group slowly made the trek towards their friends.

After a moment of silence Warren spoke up.

"Apparently they're confused about what's going on. I told him to keep everyone close and sit tight until we get there to explain."

"Good job."

When they emerged into the clearing that was being used as the base of operations during the exam, there were smiles on their faces, and shock on the faces of those that were attending the trials.

"What the hell?!"

"What's going on?!"

"Why do you guys look so… So different?"

Was shouted by the confused party. Especially when they noticed just how different everyone looked. Rolling his eyes Natsu turned towards Makarov.

"What do you guys remember exactly?"

While some of them were miffed that he was ignoring them, no one spoke up, choosing to let the master explain what had happened.

"We had just settled down for the day when an ungodly powerful magic presence was felt coming towards us. Gildarts apparently recognized it and in a panic he gathered everyone together so we could leave, but because _some people_ didn't understand it took him too long and we all froze when we saw that black dragon. The last thing any of us remember is seeing an impressively large breath attack coming at us."

As Makarov explained he shot a slight glare towards Gray and Elfman in particular.

"So you don't know how you survived?"

Cana questioned as she felt a headache coming on. The response was a shake of his head.

"I'm not sure who did it then, but someone used a powerful spell. The magic council had it recorded to be able to have proof you guys were gone, but Wendy and I noticed some kind of barrier that had our symbol on it. After searching the library we found an old book left behind by the first master. We figured someone used one of the three guild spells, one called **Fairy Sphere** to save you guys."

Everyone that didn't already know about **Fairy Sphere** went wide eyed at the idea.

"I've never even heard of that spell. Precht only taught me **Fairy Law**, though he did say that there were two other spells."

The short elderly man commented. As he was the one that read the notebook and learned about **Fairy Sphere** Natsu explained exactly what it did and how it worked.

"While no time has passed for you guys it's been seven years for us."

"Bullshit."

Gray commented, not believing what he had just heard. Before anyone could blink Natsu buried a fist in the mans gut.

"No cursing in front of Michiko."

At that point they finally noticed the girl that was sitting on his shoulders. Onyx eyes and brown colored hair where the only clues they had to realize it really was Michiko. Since she was no longer a baby, they had to accept that time had passed.

"Since the ship was here with us, how did you guys get here?"

Gildarts spoke up, trying to bring everyone's attention back to slightly more important matters.

"Blue Pegasus has been keeping an eye on the area for us. Ichiya and the Trimens let us catch a ride on their magical bomber the Christina."

At that moment, Hibiki's voice cut through the air as the Christina's PA system kicked in.

"We've got an airship inbound. It looks like it belongs to Grimoire Heart!"

With that Cana sprang into action.

"Warren, get back to the Christina and have the Trimens help you get linked up with everyone, you're in charge of information. Jet, Droy, I want the two of you to search for wherever they decide to land. Natsu you know what to do."

As she spoke Cana took her daughter off Natsu's shoulders. Even though Michiko frowned at the fact she wasn't going to go with her father, the young girl didn't say anything. The moment she was off of his shoulder Natsu rolled his neck as he called out some of his fire. Shaping it into wings he took off into the air.

"What's ash-for-brains going to do like that?"

Gray asked, a bit miffed that everyone that was on Tenrou Island got left out. He was the only one that didn't realize Cana was the one giving out orders.

"He's going to slow them down so we have enough time to set up a counter attack."

Wendy answered as she took a step closer to Cana and Michiko. Even though the older brunette didn't say anything, Wendy knew her task was to stay close and help keep Michiko out of harms way. After all there was no way they wouldn't get dragged into the fighting. But she wouldn't let anything happen. Her pride as a member of Fairy Tail, and as a Dragon Slayer wouldn't let her fail in protecting the two.

* * *

S.R: Again, in case you guys didn't read my note up top. I didn't like how my original plan turned out. So I decided to off screen most of the talk and then do a time skip to this point. Anyway, until next time. See ya!


	26. Chapter 26

S.R: Normally I'd alternate over to 'A Different Team Natsu' for a chapter then come back to this one, but if I'm honest with you I had a bit of a hard time with writing Gray vs. Juvia. I might have to go back and reread that chapter in the manga to help. So this story gets priority right now. Anyway.

Review:

Welp at least we know how Selene looks like and boy Hiro didn't disappoint another sexy Dragon appeared just like the Dragon Milf Irene...

Wait Grimoire Heart is still active after so many years? Good twist but at this point Natsu can one-shot them before they even land… -Firedrakes

My reply:

I stopped reading the 100 year quest arc a while ago so thanks for the heads up that she finally appeared. I looked her up and I'm not as impressed as you are. After this goes up I'm going back and editing the chapter I introduced her in to be more detailed with what I was imagining when I heard the words 'Moon Dragon God'. Because my design fits that title much better in my opinion.

As for the comment about Natsu one-shoting them before they could land… Nope. Remember the Devil's Heart machine they had? Let's just say I'm giving it multiple uses here in this story.

S.R: Anyway, let's move on to the story, shall we?

* * *

**Last Time**

"We've got an airship inbound. It looks like it belongs to Grimoire Heart!"

With that Cana sprang into action.

"Warren, get back to the Christina and have the Trimens help you get linked up with everyone, you're in charge of information. Jet, Droy, I want the two of you to search for wherever they decide to land. Natsu you know what to do."

As she spoke Cana took her daughter off Natsu's shoulders. Even though Michiko frowned at the fact she wasn't going to go with her father, the young girl didn't say anything. The moment she was off of his shoulder Natsu rolled his neck as he called out some of his fire. Shaping it into wings he took off into the air.

"What's ash-for-brains going to do like that?"

Gray asked, a bit miffed that everyone that was on Tenrou Island got left out. He was the only one that didn't realize Cana was the one giving out orders.

"He's going to slow them down so we have enough time to set up a counter attack."

Wendy answered as she took a step closer to Cana and Michiko. Even though the older brunette didn't say anything, Wendy knew her task was to stay close and help keep Michiko out of harms way. After all there was no way they wouldn't get dragged into the fighting. But she wouldn't let anything happen. Her pride as a member of Fairy Tail, and as a Dragon Slayer wouldn't let her fail in protecting the two.

**This Time**

Upon realizing that everyone was following Cana's commands Makarov turned to the woman with a proud grin.

"They seem to be following your orders pretty easily."

"Of course. Since the Magic Council declared you all dead unless proven otherwise someone had to step up and take control."

"She says that, but really Natsu took charge and then because of how it would help in more than one way he nominated her to be guild master in your absence."

Cana replied though Wendy just had to explain it properly. It wasn't that she had anything against the older mage, but even though Cana was married to Natsu, Wendy wanted them to give Natsu the credit since it was his idea.

"I see. Looks like we've got a lot to talk about. It can wait until we get back to the guild though."

Makarov replied after hearing that Cana was currently Fairy Tail's guild master.

Just then a massive shock wave tore through the air, causing everyone to watch as Natsu was thrown to the ground. He landed on his feet but his arms were crossed defensively in front of him and he was panting slightly.

"Wasn't expecting that."

He muttered as he shook his head before reforming his flaming wings. This time instead of charging straight in, he floated a distance off from the airship.

"You managed to defend against and bounce me back while using **Fire Dragon's Sword Horn**. But what about attacks at multiple different spots? **Fire Dragon's Flare Barrage**!"

He yelled towards the airship before several dozen bolder sized fireballs formed in the air behind him. Shooting them towards the faint barrier he could see that had pushed him back before, Natsu watched with amusement as it shook a few times before fading under his assault. The few fireballs that still remained moved closer to the airship before being stopped once more by a similar barrier.

"Foolish boy, even if you can destroy our **Magic Barrier**, it can repair itself in nearly an instant. You'll need far more magic to hit Grimoire Heart's headquarters."

a voice called out to him, heavily amplified both by the PA system of the airship, and by someone's magic.

Once more Natsu tried his **Fire Dragon's Flare Barrage**, only this time he didn't stop it at a few dozen fireballs. He let his magic go until there were several hundred. But when the same thing happened once again he grit his teeth in anger.

"DON'T YOU DARE LOOK DOWN ON ME!"

He raged towards Grimoire Heart as he could faintly hear several people laughing at his attempts. The temperature of the air around him shot up. His fiery wings took a slightly more molten appearance as his magic circle became a muddy orange color instead.

"**Volcanic Dragon's Hellfire Barrage**!"

Once more fireballs appeared in the air behind him, but everyone could clearly see a difference from the previous ones. Before they were just pure balls of flame, but now? Now they looked as if Natsu had used gravity magic to lift and shape flowing lava into his ammunition.

Makarov and Gildarts, as the two most experienced people on the ground were the first to notice the sharp rise in power compared to the previous attack, both impressed by the level of power Natsu was show casing. The others only felt their jaws hit the ground after they realized it. This time his attack punched through the **Magic Barrier** each time it repaired itself leading to several explosions in the air due to the power inside each fireball. In the end several parts of Grimoire Heart's airship went up in flames.

Several people on the ground cheered, thinking Natsu had stopped them from getting close enough to land, since the airship was loosing altitude due to the damage he caused. But of course a handful of them realized it was close enough, and was landing on it's own, their instincts screaming that the fight had yet to truly begin.

With his instincts yelling at him with the same feeling as the people on the ground Natsu landed with a sigh. He was just in time Warrens voice to ring out in his head.

'_Jet and Droy are all set to ambush them the moment they step off that airship. But from what Ichiya can tell with his __**Perfume**__ magic, they brought several strong members. It's likely that the entirety of their 'Seven Kin of Purgatory' are here.'_

Since they were the most experienced members of Fairy Tail Gildarts and Makarov took command of the situation.

"If it's all of their strongest then that means Bluenote Stinger is here. I've heard he's a monster, so I'll deal with him."

Gildarts commented before walking off. Makarov was sighing heavily as he gave out his orders.

"Confronting all of them together is a bad idea. Split into teams and find advantageous places to fight. They're searching for something so they'll be going in small groups too, otherwise they'd have just shot at us from their airship."

A few people voiced their agreement with the idea.

"I know the person that voice that was taunting you belongs to, Natsu. I'll be taking care of him personally, and Gildarts will have Bluenote. Now let's show them why you don't mess with Fairy Tail!"

Roaring his proclamation loudly, Makarov let a bit of his magic pressure spill out before he left the group of wizards, just like the **Crash** mage had after declaring his target.

Erza, Gray, Natsu, Wendy, and Cana were the only ones not feeling slightly nervous about what was about to happen.

"We'll need to use the Christina as a base camp. Freed, Bickslow can I leave defending it to you?"

Erza asked as Cana and Natsu made eye contact.

The two in question nodded at the red headed knights command and walked away.

"Gray and Juvia. Your magic works well together so I'd suggest teaming up. Elfman, Lucy, Lisanna, Levy and Evergreen. No offense buy you're the ones that'll have the worst of it so I'd suggest staying together if you can. Wendy, Gajeel, and Erza it'd be good if you stayed close enough to provide back up if needed but you guys don't need to team up. As much as I want to have her go back to the Christina, Natsu and I are the best protection for Mich-"

Cana started to say, before looking around in a panic. Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel were all wide eyed and staring at each other.

"How the hell?!"

The **Iron** Dragon Slayer grunted in shock. Despite their senses being the sharpest, none of the Dragon Slayers noticed when Michiko separated from them. They couldn't even try to track her by scent because there were so many people on the island that there was nothing but a jumbled mess of scents.

Growling at the situation Natsu's eyes became slits.

"We'll do exactly as Cana just suggested. If you find Michiko before Cana and I do, have Warren let us know."

Then he turned towards Gajeel and Wendy.

"Don't hold back."

Knowing exactly what he meant they both just nodded. With that Fairy Tail officially split up. Gray and Juvia wondered off to the east, Elfman, Levy, Lucy, Lisanna, and Evergreen heading back to the west, closer to the Christina. Gajeel, Erza, and Wendy sped off to the south, but slightly separated so as not to be in a group. Which left Natsu and Cana with the northern direction.

As Natsu and Cana began searching for their daughter a few mages from Grimoire Heart tried to stop them. But without slowing down in the slighting Natsu planted both of them head first in the ground. Cana took the time to look over her should and confirm that they were still breathing.

'_Hopefully the magic council doesn't make a big deal about this.' _She thought to herself, knowing that if things got any worse Natsu would go straight for the kill instead of just simply knocking out the people from Grimoire Heart.

Half an hour passed and they still hadn't found Michiko, and Natsu's rampage was getting worse. At the start he efficiently knocked out all the Grimoire Heart underlings that tried to attack. But now? Natsu was being brutal with his responses. Several of them had been severely burned, enough so that Cana was certain they'd be permanently scared no matter who it was that tried to heal them. Others were crushed and pinned by massive boulders, heavy enough that they heard the bones breaking.

'_So long as he doesn't outright murder them, or mutilate them the council should be fine.' _She told herself. This was as much for Natsu's sake as it was for hers since there had been a few times where she'd put too much power into an attack to deal with some of them. After all, once Michiko was safe, she was going to send Natsu to take out the top brass that Grimoire Heart had brought with them.

"You'd think they would have known better."

Cana muttered to herself. Which was true. Grimoire Heart had avoided Natsu like the plague before. After he became a Wizard Saint, there were times where he'd take a job from the council and have to confront them, but Grimoire Heart would always flee the moment they saw him. Plus, he had risen up to the 6th seat and was really well known in Fiore. So it was impossible for them to not know he was monstrously powerful.

Having heard his wife, Natsu gave a simple reply.

"Doesn't matter. They messed up by targeting my family."

The tone of voice, and the power he was letting flow freely was enough to convince her that when it came time to explain to the magic council what had happened, they wouldn't do anything. Natsu had gone full on dragon. And everyone knows to fear the wrath of a dragon.

**Meanwhile**

"Found him."

A young sounding voice commented Drawing Grays attention. He managed to shove Juvia out of the way, just in time for a blade of teal magic to miss both of them.

"Tch. He managed to dodge."

A moment latter all Gray and Juvia could see of the person attacking them was pink hair. Thinking quickly Juvia threw a wave of water forward and Gray froze it into a protective barrier.

"That's some quick thinking for someone who is supposed to be an idiot."

Another voice muttered, though it wasn't heard by anyone, before Gray's makeshift ice barrier was 'melted' into water so the barrage of teal colored magic swords could continue on towards their target.

"Shit!"

Gray choked out as he contorted his body in all kinds of ways to dodge the attack. Juvia liquefied her body and made it spread out on the ground as thinly as possible so as to avoid being touched by any of the flying blades no matter how low they were.

After the storm of magic swords ended Juvia reformed her body and shouted towards their attacker having noticed that she was practically ignored with the last attack.

"What are you only targeting my precious Gray?!"

If it weren't for the situation Gray would have blushed at her words. Instead he just stared at the person who had been trying to harm him. Long pink hair and bright green eyes were the first things he noticed. Then he saw some sort of gold wing-like headgear around her ears. Gray and Juvia quirked their eyebrows at her outfit, though they assumed it was a uniform she was wearing considering how neat and orderly it seemed. A tight, purple leotard with brownish thigh-high boots that had white stripes at the top. Over her uniform, she wore a red cape with a golden lining around the edges. Spotting the symbol of Grimoire Heart in white on the left shoulder of the cape, they knew that the girl was most definitely part of Grimoire Heart.

"Why shouldn't I target him?"

The girl angrily spit out towards them. The pure hatred in her tone made Gray take a step back, confused about what he could have done to anger her so.

"Juvia doesn't understand, you are acting like Gray is the only one you must fight? But Juvia is here too you know?"

Strangely his blue haired comrade wasn't as put off by the vehemence in the pink haired girls voice. But Gray did take comfort in the fact Juvia was defending him.

"You don't need to understand. You just need to stay out of my way while I kill him."

This time instead of the teal color they'd seen before the girl formed a few yellow colored swords out of her magic and launched them towards Gray. Reflexively he used his magic to create a shield while calling out to Juvia

"If she wants a fight I'll give her one. Stay back unless I really need your help!"

The confidence in his tone and the way he proudly stood to defend himself had Juvia staring at him dreamily. It took him telling her to move to snap out of her daze.

"Now it's my turn to ask. Why are you here?"

"Grimoire Heart is here to complete our plans and Fairy Tail is in the way. As for me, I'm here solely to kill you."

She glared at Gray as he ducked under another one of her attacks. As much as he wanted to retaliate, Gray didn't. He knew there was someone watching over the battle, not making any moves and he didn't want to risk them joining in against him just yet. So he just focused on getting the little girl to talk about why she was so focused on him.

Eventually after several minutes of prodding he finally got an answer.

"I want to kill you because you are the biggest threat to Ultear. Emotionally at least."

The name was enough to cause Gray to go wide eyed. '_There's no way'_ he thought to himself in shock. That was a name he recalled very well. After all it was the name of his teachers dead daughter.

At this point the figure that had been watching from the shadows finally stepped onto the battle field.

"Meredy, I appreciate the effort. I stayed out of it because I know you were trying to do it for me, but I can't take it any longer."

The woman smiled sweetly towards the pink haired girl, but then when she faced Gray the look she gave him… It was as if he was the source of all the negative feelings she harbored. Her pain, hate, sadness, all of it was his fault in her eyes and he could tell that was what she believed. The woman's face made Gray stop in his tracks entirely.

"U-Ur?!"

Even though he knew it wasn't his teacher, the woman's face was far to similar.

"Don't you dare say that wretched woman's name in front of me!"

She screamed in rage as her magic pressure swelled. Gulping at what was happening the **Ice Make** mage managed to connect the dots. Ultear was alive, and Ur had been lied to. Somehow his master's daughter had come to be part of Grimoire Heart.

"You really are her daughter then?"

Even though he knew it wasn't a good idea, Gray wanted to have it confirmed by the woman herself.

"What kind of parent would abandon their child? No that woman is not my mother!"

Clearly he was right, but for some reason Ultear didn't acknowledge her mother despite the anger she felt. Recalling all the times he'd heard master Makarov saying 'today's enemies can be tomorrows friends', Gray resolved himself to solve things peacefully. He refused to stomp on Ur's name and memory by fighting with her daughter.

"What the hell are you talking about?! She didn't abandon you!"

"Shut up!"

The woman yelled as the orb she'd been holding zoomed towards him. Because he didn't want to fight, Gray didn't bother to defend himself. Assuming he could take her attacks, he'd let her vent the frustration on him, and then have a proper conversation to explain things. As he held his arms out and welcomed the attack he shouted over to Juvia.

"Go help the others, I've got this!"

The blue haired woman quivered for a moment torn between staying with her love, or doing as he asked. But when she saw his eyes, pleading with her to let him handle the situation she relented and ran to find the others.

"Stupid. Sending your ally away from a fight. Not that her presence would help you."

The pink haired girl that had been called Meredy commented, though she didn't move. From how the last few minutes had gone, Gray figured her allegiance was towards Ultear and not Grimoire Heart itself. But he put that to the back of his mind as he tried to put his plan in action.

Despite having been hit several times by the weird orb he was still standing strong.

"Ur loved you dearly."

He commented, recalling the framed picture of Ur holding her newborn daughter with the widest smile he'd ever seen his teacher have.

"Ur abandoned me! She didn't want me and threw me away! Hell she replaced me with you and Lyon!"

Despite the fact he questioned how she knew that he and Lyon where Ur's students Gray slowly stepped towards her. From the tone of her voice, he could tell she was slowly loosing some of her hatred and anger.

"Ur never abandoned you! She was told her daughter had died!"

"Lies!"

Ultear screamed as she flung her orb at him once more. It smashed into his jaw, likely in an effort to make him stay quiet. But Gray took another step forward, even as he ducked under another attack from Meredy who was trying to stop him from getting close to Ultear.

"Shortly after you were born you fell ill. Seriously ill. Ur took you to the hospital, and the doctors spent weeks trying to help you. In the end the doctor told her 'Your daughter was born with too much magic power. Enough so that it tried to awaken prematurely and her body couldn't handle it. I'm sorry but your daughter has passed away.'"

There Gray took a slight pause, only long enough to take a breath, even as Ultear's orb slammed into his side once again.

"I remember those words very well. Ur recited them to me the one time I asked about the only picture she had on the mantle… She looked so broken when she told me that story. It was easily the most painful look I'd ever seen her have."

At this point Ultear had stopped trying to attack. Whatever she was doing to control the orb was completely stopped as it fell to the ground. Her arms went up around her head as she bent over slightly.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

She cried out, not wanting to hear anymore. At this point Meredy was lunging for him her magic having formed a teal sword in her hand. With his arms spread wide he accepted the attack. Somehow he just knew that they wouldn't kill him. Not know that he had told them what he knew. They'd keep him alive so they could figure out the truth.

Just as he suspected, the pink haired woman had stabbed him in the stomach. It was painful, but non-lethal.

"I'll do whatever it takes to prove I'm telling the truth."

His words drew a gasp from Meredy as she looked into his eyes. He could tell she was confused about why he was still alive. Instincively she had chosen not to kill him, and her eyes showed that she didn't know why. But he held her gaze with his own, conveying his sincerity.

Nodding, Meredy backed off and canceled out her magic. Ultear was sobbing, as she finally let it sink in that what she'd been told, and what she'd seen wasn't the exact truth. Since they didn't seem like they'd suddenly attack him, Gray coated his hand in his magic and used it to freeze his wound shut.

'_Later this is going to hurt like a bitch.'_

He thought to himself.

After a few moments of silence Meredy spoke up.

"You want to prove what you said is true? Focus on your memories of being told about Ultear."

She said in a tone that left no debate. Gray was kind of curious about what she'd do, but he didn't say anything as he nodded.

**Meanwhile**

"I knew it was you that I heard."

Makarov commented as he glared towards the man he had planned to confront.

"Well, well. It doesn't seem like the years have been kind to you."

He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"Precht. What happened to you. What caused you to become part of Grimoire Heart?"

The other man just snorted.

"What happened you ask? As Fairy Tail's guild master you know very well the dark secret we protect. After years of studying it, I realized something. Magic, it is a power that was born in darkness. The roots of which trace back to Zeref."

Here, he just stopped speaking and looked down at Makarov.

"So what? What are you trying to accomplish here?"

"It pains me a bit to do this… but Fairy Tail must be destroyed. The strongest, who have gathered here must fall first."

**Meanwhile (again)**

"It's been a long time since I've fought someone my **Gravity** magic doesn't work on."

Even though he head the man, Gildarts didn't say anything in response. If he were to be perfectly honest, Gildarts was starting to question if he would actually have to go all out with their fight. Mostly because with the way things were going, he was starting to doubt he could just simply knock Bluenote out. The man was surprisingly sturdy, and had some real skill in fighting.

Between the two of them Bluenote had taken less direct hits. Though he didn't hit quite as hard as Gildarts did. After a moment there was a slight lull in the fight as Gildarts and Bluenote bounced off of each other after a vicious headbutt.

"Haa, screw it."

Gildarts muttered to himself after he saw the level of destruction their fight was causing. If it was going to go on much longer there wouldn't be much of an island left. They were standing in a rather sizable crater and the crater itself looked as if it was an ancient battleground from all the damage they caused.

Ducking under Bluenote's incoming fist, with his prosthetic arm he uppercut Bluenote hard enough to send him airborne. Thanks to his magic though, Bluenote was back on the ground almost instantly. But it was enough of an opening. Noticing a loose stone, Gildarts kicked it towards Bluenote as a distraction.

"Oh no you don't. I'm drawing this fight out until I finally get bored!"

Bluenote shouted as he used his magic to rip the ground out from underneath Gildarts, while side-stepping the stone that had been kicked towards him. A quick burst of magic through the **Crash** mages feet caused the ground to become cubes, canceling out Bluenote's magic and making him fall back towards the actual ground. Since Bluenote was going to be a pain in the ass, he smashed his metal arm into the mans head, pushing down to the ground from the force.

"You keep this up and I might just have to kill ya."

Gildarts said, his first words for the entire fight. Bluenote just grinned widely.

"You think you can?"

"Considering we're on equal grounds while you keep stopping me from using more magic? I know I can."

Gildarts commented as he once again ducked under a punch. The result was that he had to roll to the side to avoid taking a knee to the face.

"In other words, If I let up and you start using magic beyond the basic level you'd completely destroy me?"

Bluenote asked eagerly. '_Of course he's a battle junkie.'_Sighing heavily, Gildarts finally let up on his tight hold over his magic. The pressure skyrocketed enough to push Bluenote back several feet.

"More like if I get serious I can end you in an instant."

He commented, using the distraction to get in close. Gildarts really didn't want to hear the council's complaining about killing Bluenote, so he held back with his attack.

"**Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean.**"

Once more his fist caught Bluenote's jaw, but with the amount of magic it contained the difference in power was like night and day. He saw Bluenote's body shake and tremor from the force behind his attack before being launch skyward. Given how high the man went, and the angle it was at, and the fact he had temporarily disrupted Bluenote's ability to channel his magic, Gildarts guess the man would land in the ocean.

Climbing out of the crater their fight caused Gildarts went wide eyed when he heard a young girl's voice.

"That was so cool!"

Nearly breaking his neck as he turned to look at where the voice was coming from he saw a little girl. Makarov had told him about how Cana and Natsu ended up having to adopt a baby while they were making their way towards Tenrou to hold the S-class trials. Given Natsu had called her Michiko, he knew that the little girl that was on Natsu's shoulders when they first appeared had to be that baby.

Said girl was standing just beside the closest tree and staring at him wide eyed. For a moment his heart almost stopped, but then he noticed she was okay other than a few smudges of dirt. Letting out a breath, he called over to her.

"What are you doing there?"

"I've seen mommy and daddy fight before, and I've heard stories about everyone else. So I wanted to see how you fight!"

She responded cheerfully.

Snorting, Gildarts walked closer to her. Gently messing with here hair he commented back "You could've waited till we got back kiddo. Your dad used to challenge me to a fight all the time."

She just giggled, before quickly latching onto his arm. He watched in amusement as she squirmed around, so that his hand wasn't directly above her head, before jumping up and wrapping her legs around his arm. Wiggling her way towards his shoulders she laughed at his shock as she reconfigured herself to be sitting on his shoulders.

But then he smiled.

"That was a pretty good job kiddo."

"Thanks grandpa!"

A jolt went through him at her words. '_Grandpa!? Is she calling me old?'_

"H-hey, you know I'm not that old."

"Grandpa is my Grandpa."

"Uh..."

Confusion raced through him. After all, Gildarts never had a kid. So he couldn't be a grandpa. Then he thought about it a bit.

"Are you mistaking me for the guy your dad always called gramps?"

Giggling at that Michiko shook her head, despite the fact the orange haired man couldn't see.

"Nope. You are my grandpa. Mommy said so."

At that Gildarts had to turn to look at the little girl on his shoulders.

"What do you mean your mom said I was your grandpa?"

"Well, mommy said that she didn't feel worthy of being called your daughter so she never told you."

Michiko answered with a thoughtful look on her face. Somehow Gildarts just knew the look was because she wanted to recall Cana's words exactly.

"I see."

He commented as he turned his head back towards the direction he was walking.

"Are you mad?"

The girl on his shoulder asked, considering he didn't say anything about what she'd just told him.

"Mad? No, not at all. I'm just, just shocked. I mean if I had known..."

From the tone of his voice, Michiko knew it was hurting to think about what could have been. So she gently tapped on his head.

"It's okay grandpa. Mommy was just really shy."

Thinking back to Cana when she first came to the guild, he completely agreed with the little girl on that.

"I guess that's true."

He would have continued the talk but he had to take a step back as a body crossed in front of them before crashing into a tree. Years of experience caused the **Crash** mage to punch forward, his magic tossing another person a good distance away. Farther than he had intended to, but Gildarts was quick to realize he put more power into that attack because he was carrying Michiko.

Turning to look at the person that had smacked into the tree he was surprised to see it was Makarov. He could see that there were already several bruises forming, and from what he could feel of the older man's magic, he'd already used a good chunk.

Groaning Makarov tried to stand up.

"Sit down master. If someone from Grimoire Heart can push you that far then it's better for me to take over."

He commented as he walked towards the short man. The tone of his voice told Michiko that it was time for her to get off, and she climbed down his back. Turning to the little girl he calmly spoke again, while pointing towards Makarov.

"Stay with him."

Makarov knew exactly what Gildarts was thinking and as much as he wanted to protest, he had to agree it was the better idea. Old age was really rough on him, and fighting at the level it would have required him to would most likely lead to his heart acting up in the middle of battle. So he would protect the little one. After he asked how she came to be with Gildarts at least.

"How did you end up with Gildarts?"

"I sneaked away from mommy when she wasn't looking."

Realizing she was a lot like young Natsu, Makarov just chuckled, even though it was a serious situation. He couldn't help it. But when he finally stopped with his laughing he gave her a rather serious look.

"I had to laugh because it reminded me of something your dad would do when he was young, but that was very dangerous. With how things are right now you could have been seriously hurt and no one would have known."

Because she knew that she deserved the scolding Michiko looked down a little and responded in a small voice.

"I'm sorry."

Knowing that Natsu and Cana were likely panicking, he used **Telepathy** to contact them and inform them of what he had learned. The parental duo suggested he stayed right where he was at and that they'd come to him. After he canceled out his magic he looked at the little girl again.

"I know you are. That's why when your mom and dad get here you'll apologize to them too right?"

Instead of vocalizing her response Michiko just nodded her head.

"Well then, while we wait would you like to hear some stories about when your mom and dad were young?"

Rather than let her focus on the fact she was in trouble, which would just make things worse, he chose to distract her while they waited for Natsu and Cana to find them. However before he could get any more words out Makarov suddenly clutched at his chest as all the color left his face.

"What's wrong gramps?!"

Not realizing that she used her fathers nickname for the short old man, Michiko shouted in fear when she saw that he seemed to be in pain. It was just loud enough to reach Natsu over the sound of all the other battles going on and he charged towards her, Cana almost being dragged behind him as she could only just keep up with his pace.

But he was not the only one to hear her. Walking towards the tree that Michiko and Makarov were sitting under was a blonde man with a twisted grin. As he moved towards the two with the demented look on his face black flames blazed to life in his hand. Michiko cowered in fear of the strange man, and even closed her eyes to avoid seeing exactly what he was going to do.

Finally he was close enough to reach out, but just before his had could touch either one of them, a blur smashed into him. The sound was enough to startle the little brunette into opening her eyes. Protectively standing in front of her were her parents.

"Mommy, Daddy!"

She cried out as she latched onto Cana. Natsu would have joined his wife in calming her down, but he had to protect them as the man he had sent flying came back with an attempt to hit Cana from behind.

Glaring at the blonde mage Natsu grabbed him by his throat and ran off. Realizing what was happening Cana didn't even try to go after him. She just hugged Michiko close.

"Everything's fine now sweetie. Mommy's right here."

* * *

S.R: Okay, so I'm just going to leave this here... So yeah, next time Natsu vs. Zancrow. See you then.


	27. Note

S.R: Geeze people. Do you really have to question why Natsu vs. Zancrow is going to happen in the next chapter? It should be obvious. Natsu and Gildarts are the only two on Tenrou Island that could fight him at the moment and our favorite Crash mage is busy with distracting Hades. Besides I'm doing it so I can freely bash Zancrow. Aside from that I do want to address concerns about the fight against Grimiore Heart in general.

First. Gildarts vs. Hades will be a continuation of the scene where Makarov confronted him. While the two will be slinging magic around, it'll mostly be explaining the twist I came up with for why Grimiore Heart attacked Tenrou, and why at this specific time.

Second. Since I really couldn't care less, the other 7 kin won't really get screen time. At most one or two of them might get their defeat scene show. Ultear and Meredy were kind of important, since they need to join up with Jellal. Bluenote was here because I wanted to do a Gildarts fight, and I'll admit it was to see if I could really write a battle for him (It was a small struggle, and to be honest I'm not sure how I feel about the results). Zancrow is here just because I want to bash him. And lastly, Hades. He won't go down easily. I have a really interesting plan for how to do it though.


	28. Chapter 27

S.R: Well…. I have a few stories that will be up eventually now. My beta reader suggested I finish at least one of my two Fairy Tail stories first however. But it'll be a while before that happens so you guys are stuck with these two for now. I just wanted to give you guys a heads up though.

S.R: Also it's been a while so it's time for another disclaimer.

I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL. I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS.

S.R: Now we take you back to your regularly scheduled program.

* * *

Throwing the blonde asshole to the ground Natsu growled darkly. The man had been completely caught of guard twice now, rubbed at his throat as he lightly coughed.

"Why the fuck did you have to stop me?! I was about to skull-fuck that bitch you call a wife! I'd have completely and utterly made her my slut before ripping her to pieces right in front of that helpless little brat. Then I'd have made that little shit my personal slave just like her mommy."

Somehow, Natsu let Zancrow finish his little rant before exploding in his fury. He didn't even bother with his magic. After all, Natsu was strong enough to cause the entire island to shake with just his physical abilities.

Tremor after tremor shook Tenrou island as Natsu utterly broke the blonde man in front of him. Twenty solid minutes of bashing on him was what it took before Natsu realized he hadn't managed to turn the fool into a pile of goop. Taking in a deep breath he growled out in a dark tone.

"I will fucking end you."

Zancrow wasn't used to his magic having to heal his body as much or as quickly as it had been, but the idea of a fight that required his magic's full capabilities was exciting. Something was telling him this was going to be the fun fight he'd been searching for.

Pushing himself up off the ground, he glared towards the pink haired man. Of course he knew who the bastard was. 'The Salamander' was one of the strongest mages in Fiore, and the one he was looking forward to fighting the most.

"I'll give you credit for making me have to resort to my godly healing factor. But it's not enough. And now, you wont' be able to fucking touch me with your magic."

He commented, completely forgetting that the pink haired man was not only a **Fire** mage but an **Earth** mage as well.

Lunging forward the blonde man attempted to punch Natsu square in the face. But with how pissed off he was, Natsu didn't even give him the chance. Easily catching the fist, Natsu used enough force to pull him off of his feet and threw him into a tree. Colliding back first he gasped at the impacted before laughing.

"Alright! You want death so badly?! I'll give it to ya. Just remember, Zancrow's the name of the guy that killed ya!"

He gleefully shouted as he let his magic free. Black flames sprang to life around his right hand. Punching forward he watched excitedly as his magic exploded the moment it made contact with Natsu.

"Is that all you've got?"

Natsu asked as the attack dissipated, disappointment clear in his voice. His clothes were slightly ruffled, but there was no sign of him being harmed in any way. Zancrow couldn't help but let his jaw drop.

"I'll admit, had I been anyone else that attack would have done something, but you can't hope to scratch me with this level of magic."

A moment later Zancrow couldn't see the pink haired man. But he didn't have much time to think as a shout of "**Fire Dragon's ****Iron ****Fist**" came from his side. Before he even registered the sound in his ears a fist of pain caught him on the cheek.

"What the hell?!"

He screamed as pain flared to life on the side of his face. By this point Natsu's wrath had gone from a smoldering flame, to being a raging inferno. Yet he still retained his sense of self. Rather than give into his anger however, Natsu remained in control. There was no way the fight was ending without him ending Zancrow's life, not after what he'd heard the man threatening to do. Yet, rather than tear Zancrow limb from limb right away, he was going to make the bastard feel completely helpless first.

"Those black flames of yours…. I've read about them. You're a **Fire God Slayer**. Super powerful yes, but that doesn't make you a true God. Nor does it make it possible for you to defeat something stronger than you."

"The fuck are you talking about!?"

Zancrow yelled as he attempted to punch Natsu not noticing the deadly serious tone he'd used. But the Dragon Slayer side stepped the fist and landed another **Fire Dragon's ****Iron ****Fist**, expect this time it was to the blonde man's gut.

"Think about it. If you're so damn powerful then why aren't you the leader of Grimiore Heart. You can't beat Hades can you?"

As one of the Wizard Saints, Natsu was privy to all the information the council had about the dark guilds, so he knew all about Grimoire Hearts ranking system, and that they all fell short of being able to beat their guild master in a fight.

"Are you saying you're on his level? Bullshit!"

Sucking in a deep breath after that shout Zancrow unleashed a massive plume of his terrifying black fire from his mouth. But Natsu just walked through it without batting an eye.

"You might not be able to win a fight against him, but your magic still causes burns to him right? So why isn't that the case here?"

Natsu smirked as irritatingly as he could, as he once again landed a **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist** into Zancrow's stomach. This time he purposefully used enough force to launch the main into the air.

"This is how you use your lungs properly. **Fire Dragon's Roar**!"

Unleashing his roar Natsu smirked at the fact his attack was both far larger and far stronger than the Fire God Slayer's previous attack had been. A moment later Zancrow landed on the ground with a groan. Strangely he had slight burns covering his body despite the fact that as a Fire God Slayer he was supposed to have immunity to fire, just like the Fire Dragon Slayer in front of him.

"I'll tell you why your fire isn't working on me. I'm stronger than you. Your magic isn't able to harm me because of that. It's why I can still burn you though."

Natsu commented as Zancrow shakily stood back up.

"The fuck you are!"

Unable to believe it Zancrow rushed forward. But Natsu met his charge head on. Both of them had their hands and feet covered in flames, as they clashed. Yet it was easy to see that Zancrow was the one getting beaten back. Natsu barely even had bruises forming, while Zancrow's body was covered in patches of burns and his abdomen was already turning black and blue from the punishment.

"When you burn down the west… And you burn down the east… **Fire God's Kagutsuchi**!"

Unleashing a torrent of black flames around his body, Zancrow used the opening it provided to get back. While he still refused to believe that the pink haired punk he was fighting could be stronger than him, he had come back to his senses from the rage he'd been in before. '_I've got to be smarter about this fight..._' He thought to himself as he felt his body begin to repair itself. Then he remembered, as a God Slayer his recovery should be far quicker than the Dragon Slayers. '_This has to become a battle of attrition._'

"**Fire God's Bellow**!"

He shouted attempting to force Natsu to take damage, completely forgetting the fact that because he was weaker, his magic would not be able to affect the Fairy Tail wizard.

"**Fire Dragon's Roar**!"

The two attacks collided but the black fire was swallowed by the far superior orange-red blaze. Yet Zancrow didn't have any time to blink as a moment later he was smashed into the ground by an axel kick.

"You know, I thought this might help me blow off some steam given just how much you've pissed me off… I mean you tried to kill both my daughter and my wife right in front me, then you threatened them right to my face. But you're so weak I can't even bring myself to call this a fight."

Natsu commented, and for the first time in the fight Zancrow noticed that the pink haired man's eyes were draconic slits. He didn't get any time to think about it as he was lifted off the ground and thrown into a nearby tree.

"Either you start fighting as if your life depended on it, or I'm ending this fight here and now."

**Meanwhile**

"**Piercing Bullet**"

Gildarts heard before his magic flared protectively around him.

"Oh come on, you can do better than that. Makarov wouldn't have struggled otherwise."

He taunted, despite the fact he could feel a faint sense of familiarity from the bearded man across from him.

"A small brat like you should now better than to taunt his elders like that."

The man commented. Even his voice was somewhat familiar to the **Crash** mage.

"Should I respect you? I'm sorry, attacking Fairy Tail like you have means you're an enemy, and I don't have time to respect my enemies."

Gildarts commented as he tried to punch the older mage, but his attack was easily dodged. Luckily his **Crash Barrier**, which was passively created by his magic negated the counter attack.

"I see you've actually managed to learn how to be defensive with your **Crash** magic. That's quite impressive. Then again, there hasn't been a **Crash** mage as talented as you are since before I was born..."

"Just because you praise me doesn't mean I'll take it easy."

"Brat… You're a few decades too late to be threat to me."

The way he said the word Brat, reminded Gildarts of Makarov. Then he recalled how roughed up the guild master was. Yet despite his shape, this man could have easily ended the fight rather than toy with him.

"So how do you know Makarov?"

Here Hades grinned. Just from the glint in his eye, Gildarts knew the man was recalling a time that he was actually quite fond of.

"I'm the one that named him the third guild master of Fairy Tail."

When he heard that the orange haired man froze in place, eyes wide as dinner plates. Both men understood that the fight was stopping now. Precht, because he knew that he owed Fairy Tail an explanation, and Gildarts because he had to get some answers first.

"Why?"

It was a simple question. But at the same time it was far more than that. Gildarts was asking every question he had with one word.

"Why you ask? Well to put it as simply as I can, in order to completely rid the world of Zeref and his dark magic, all traces of magic need to be destroyed. As the largest obstacle, Fairy Tail must be crushed first. After all on top of being the most powerful guild, Fairy Tail houses one of the largest sources of magic in existence as it's most important secret."

Since he knew all about the guild's biggest secret, courtesy of the fact Makarov wanted him to be the next guild master, the orange haired man could only glare at the older man. But then, he narrowed his eyes, having realized something had to have caused the older man to snap.

"I knew someone used one of Mavis's spells to seal off Tenrou Island. So I delayed our attack. Especially since aside from that Natsu boy, the majority of your power houses were here. If I take your heads with me the rest of Fairy Tail will fall into despair, making it far easier to finish them off."

Sadly it made sense to Gildarts. Because he knew that Tenrou Island would return, Precht couldn't destroy Fairy Tail. So long as they were still alive, even if in a stasis, he wouldn't be able to access Fairy Tail's biggest secret. Taking out Fairy Tail while they were in stasis would just reveal the guilds secret to the magic council, and they wouldn't let anyone have it. Which meant Grimiore Heart had to wait until everyone returned from Tenrou Island first. Yet once they did come back, the guild's strength would return, and together Fairy Tail would be impossible to defeat.

In other words they only had a small window of opportunity to attack and win. Attack the just returning members before they could actually make it back to Magnolia. Then attack the remaining members afterwords.

"So then why not just blast us to bits from your airship?"

"I couldn't guarantee that you all died from the blast. Besides, my guild members were getting antsy so I figured killing you all in person would be best."

**Back To Natsu**

Dread had set in with Zancrow. After the brazen declaration the pink haired man had made, he realized it was true. He had to fight tooth and nail just to be able to get a few hits in, not that they actually mattered as far as he knew. It had only been five minutes and he was already just barely standing.

Natsu had a few bruises forming, and had bloody knuckles from where they'd busted open while he completely wrecked Zancrow. Even after everything he'd done before the fight, Natsu was still standing strong. Zancrow on the other hand… The only reason he was able to take the beating he had just received without becoming paste was because his magic allowed him to mend his bones and heal most of his bruises within minutes. Yet he still looked like he'd just come out of a blender.

"Ah dammit!"

The blonde cried out as he slammed a fist into the ground beside himself as he struggled to his knees. Natsu just stared towards Zancrow impassively. He knew things weren't finished just yet. But since he'd unleashed his frustrations on the man, he felt it only right to let the dark wizard have a moment to breathe properly.

Zancrow finally understood he couldn't win. He finally understood he was completely outclassed. But he did have one question to ask before he'd let the fight end.

Slowly climbing back to his feet he glared at Natsu before quietly inquiring.

"I finally get it, you're stronger… But why are your flames still able to harm me?"

"I told you my magic is stronger than your magic. You can't overpower my immunity to fire, but I can overpower yours. Despite the fact you never tried to, that is also why you wouldn't have been able to eat my flames, they're simply to strong for you."

As the pink haired man said it, Zancrow realized he never tried to eat the orange-red fire that the Dragon Slayer used. He instinctively knew it was a bad idea, so he didn't try. Sighing, he called on the remaining magic he had in his body. A dry and hollow chuckle left his lips as he looked towards Natsu.

"It's time for one final attack."

Zancrow had long since noticed that Natsu was trying to make him feel complete despair before ending the fight. But he was still prideful enough to not make it easy, especially since there was no way he wasn't going to die. Yet the blonde man had decided if he was going to die it would be on his terms. So rather than let the Dragon Slayer kill him… He'd use his remaining magic. To suddenly and completely empty your magic container, was a death sentence no matter how strong of a mage you were. It was the equivalent of allowing themselves to bleed out from an artery.

"**Fire God's Forbidden Art: Blazing Execution**"

An extremely dense inferno of black fire burned around Zancrow's arm as he lunged forward, it was as if his arm had become a blade of pure fire, meant to pierce through anything.

Even though it had more power behind it than Natsu thought the blonde had left, he didn't flinch or back up. Instead he decided to meet the attack head on with one of his own. He knew exactly what Zancrow was doing, but even with how much the blonde man had pissed him off, he still felt like he had to respect him and put forth an attack of a similar level.

"**Fire Dragon's Secret Art Crimson Lotus: ****Exploding Flame Blade**!"

Completely overpowering Zancrow's attack Natsu's flames launched the blonde dark mage through the air. He watched until the tree-line prevented him from seeing the impact, but even if he didn't, Natsu's sense of smell told him that the God Slayer had died the moment his attack connected.

**With The Rest Of Fairy Tail**

Thanks to Ultear and Meredy roughing him up quite a bit Gray was worn out, though he wouldn't change what had happened. Thanks to his sincerity he was able to convince the two to stand down. Meredy would follow Ultear anyway, as the older woman had been her adoptive mother, so once the dark haired woman decided that she had no reason to be part of Grimiore Heart they defected then and there. The trio decided to head towards Blue Pegasus's bomber since it was likely the safest spot on the island. On the way they ran into Juvia, who had grabbed Jet and Droy to come help Gray. Though they were glad to see there wasn't a need to.

By the time they got to the Christina their group had grown once again. Jet and Droy carefully carried Makarov as Cana calmed her daughter down after the chaotic day she'd had so far. Freed and Bickslow both jumped when they saw the state the guild master had fallen into, but they knew it just meant defending the Christina was even more important now. Luckily they had help from Jet and Droy now.

"What's the current situation?"

The group asked as Warren made contact with the remaining members that were still fighting.

"Counting the two defected members of their "Seven Kin of Purgatory" we've taken down 6 now. Gildarts isn't responding, but if you focus hard enough you can feel he's confronting whoever that massively powerful magic presence is."

Since Ultear was still somewhat in shock over her decision and feeling a bit guilty for trashing Gray as hard as she did, Meredy was the one to help figure out who was left. Gildarts was facing the guild master, Hades, and the only remaining member of the Seven Kin was a guy named Azuma. But then Warren spoke up.

"Erza's found the last of the Kin. Gajeel and Wendy are moping up the small fries and Natsu said he's going to back Gildarts up."

Meredy shivered a bit as she revealed just how dangerous their guild master was.

"It's probably a good thing that Natsu and Gildarts are going to fight Hades together. I'm just not sure if it'll be enough…. Thanks to the 'Devil's Heart' machine that constantly generates magic, he's almost invincible."

"What do you mean?"

Freed asked. Since Cana and Makarov were both distracted, he was the most sensible one to take control of the situation. So Meredy explained about the 'Devil's Heart'.

The 'Devil's Heart' constantly generates magic, and doubles as the fuel source for their airship, and as Hades's magic container. So long as it's making magic it could power anything and everything on their airship, and it was the real reason Natsu wasn't able to take their ship out the sky.

"But Hades used some kind of magic to place his own heart inside of it. So long as the machine is still working he can't be killed. No matter what happens the magic just recreates his body. On top of that, because he's connected his heart to it, all the magic it creates is his to use, meaning his magic container is technically infinite."

She told them, with Warren relaying her words to Natsu via his **Telepathy**.

"Destroying the 'Devil's Heart' doesn't' mean Hades will die though. After all there have been a few times where we've turned the machine off to make sure that all parts are still 100% operational.

**With Natsu**

"Hey Gildarts, looks like we get to team up for this one."

Natsu commented as he entered the clearing where Gildarts and Hades were facing off.

"You sure you can handle this Natsu?"

Gildarts asked, not even taking his eyes off of Hades.

"Given the fact he's cheating by linking his heart with a machine that constantly generates magic? This is a two man job."

Hades just scoffed at that.

"So the wannabe dragon thinks he can make a difference."

Not even a second later he was reeling from being forced into a tree.

"You should know better than to invoke a dragon's wrath. Yet you've done just that… You bastards attacked my friends. My family. That alone would guarantee that I kick your asses. But then one of your idiots tried to kill my daughter right in front of me. I may have used him as a stress ball for a bit, but I'm still fucking pissed!"

As he spoke Natsu let his magic roll of of him. His anger fueling it, Natsu entered **Dragon Force** while staring down Hades. Gildarts just watched on, as he felt his anger rise as well. He had only just found out about his connection to little Michiko, but hearing that she had been in danger after he left her with Makarov was enough to make him follow Natsu's lead. Though he was secretly extremely impressed with how much Natsu had grown.

As they let the full might of their magic come to bear, both Natsu and Gildarts had pillars forming around them. The pressure was unbelievable, and Hades was sweating even though he still had the advantage.

"To think the two of you could be such monsters..."

Hades mumbled as he tried to think of a strategy that wouldn't cause him to be too worn out. Even though the 'Devil's Heart' could restore his body via magic, it didn't do anything for fatigue. Unfortunately for him, Natsu wasn't going to give the older mage a chance to plan ahead.

"**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**!"

This time Natsu's attack was much more dangerous as Hades went sliding along the ground. He had only just gotten his defense up in time. But Natsu wasn't done yet.

"**Earth Dragon's Stone Talons**!"

Performing an axel kick, the moment Natsu's heel touched the ground a trial of spikes shot upwards, as they raced towards Hades, launching him from the ground into the air. Despite his shock at the fact Natsu was using a second element, Gildarts moved into place for an attack of his own.

"**Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean**"

His **Crash** magic coated fist caught Hades in the chest. For a moment he was just suspended in air as his body shook from the impact. But then he flew threw the air as if he were shot out of a canon. Considering the situation Natsu and Gildarts chased after the flying body. Both cautiously keeping an eye out for the counter attack they knew would be coming.

Somehow even with his defensive **Crash Barrier**, an explosion happened right next to Gildarts head, causing him to temporarily close his eyes. If he had been on his own it would have provided enough of an opening for Hades to bring his foot down on the orange haired mans head. But Natsu protected him, countering Grimiore Heart's guild master's kick with one of his own.

Blinking, Hades backed off, realizing that this fight was going to be much, much harder than he had first thought. '_They won't let me come up with a battle plan, and they've got the strength to make it difficult. Not to mention their teamwork is pretty decent'_ He thought to himself as he weaved between the fists that were thrown at him, as the two Fairy Tail mages attempted to catch him in a pincer attack.

"How long has it been since I could just cut loose." Hades commented with a soft smile as one hand pointed towards Gildarts with his **Bullet** magic, while the other freely swung a chain made from pure magic towards Natsu.

* * *

S.R: Okay yeah, I thought I'd be bashing Zancrow a bit more than I did. But in the end I'm still pretty satisfied with the fact that Natsu utterly crushed him. I guess I didn't hate Zancrow as much as I thought I did. As for Gildarts vs. Hades, I did tell you guys that it was only a partial fight and not a true blue fight right? I think I did.

But what do you guys think of my plan for dealing with him? Gildarts and Natsu tag team. No, they won't split up, it is a proper 2 on 1 fight. Not a 'I'll distract him while you destroy that machine' type fight. Hopefully this makes up for the somewhat lacking fight between Gray and Ultear and Meredy.

Anyway I'll see you guys next time!


	29. Chapter 28

S.R: Just in case I haven't made it clear yet in the story… Hades goal is different from canon. Instead of wanting to find Zeref and gain access to 'the One Magic', he has come up with a completely different mentality. He believes that Zeref cannot be killed so long as magic exists, so he and Grimiore Heart are basically trying to cause mass genocide in an effort to remove magic from the world as a misguided attempt to kill Zeref for what he did to Mavis. Not that every member of Grimiore Heart agrees with that idea, since a few of them only joined because it gives them free reign to do whatever they want (Bluenote and Zancrow as perfect examples). Anyway, let's get back to the story.

* * *

"**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**!"

Natsu attempted to attack, but his fist was ducked under. Hades couldn't try and counter attack as from his other side Gildarts charged in with a fist coated in **Crash **magic. Instead he jumped back. Using his **Bullet** magic, the oldest mage in the fight thought to get a little bit of breathing room by forcing the two Fairy Tail wizards to back off.

"**Crash Repulse**!"

But his bullets were destroyed by a wave of magic from the orange haired man, which allowed the pink haired one to charge forward without hassle.

"**Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!**"

Natsu's head bashed into Hades' chest and caused him to stumble. But he was nothing if not experienced, so it didn't stop his next action. Chains wrapped around Natsu and threw him into the trees. Then with a flick of his wrists Hades shot several more bullets of magic towards Gildarts.

Of course he knew it wouldn't work like he wanted it to, but Hades felt least tiring way to end the fight would be to split them up. After all he still had to finish off Makarov after this, and despite his unlimited magic thanks to the 'Demon Heart' fatigue was still something that would slow him down.

However before he could even blink a spear of earth was broke free from the ground underneath him, forcing Hades to fall back. Right into the path of a flaming fist. Having used Natsu's distraction as a chance to get in close, Gildarts thrust his fist forward.

"**Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean**"

Gildarts fist smashed into Hades ribs, while Natsu still held his fist against the dark mage's jaw. Pain shot through both Natsu and Hades after a moment. Since Gildarts wasn't holding back his attack reverberated through Hades and into Natsu's arm. But the Fire Dragon Slayer was nothing if not durable, so he easily put the pain aside.

"The two of you are starting to piss me off."

Hades commented before lashing out quickly. It was so fast even Gildarts was caught by surprise. Natsu found his head bouncing off the ground while Gildarts was sailing through the air. But Hades wasn't done yet.

"**Amaterasu: Formula 28**!"

The next thing Natsu knew he was completely enveloped in a shock wave.

"Oh shit."

Was all Gildarts had to say. He had felt the power behind that attack even though it wasn't directed at him. If the guild master of Grimiore Heart had spells at that level then he really needed to get serious, especially if they wanted to prevent him from destroying the island as collateral during the fight.

"Natsu if you can move, go tell everyone to pull back now. This fight is getting to the point the island will be destroyed before there's a winner."

Finally letting the last bit of control he had over his magic fade, Gildarts unleash the absolute full power of his magic, Lunging forward with his fist while crying out "**Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean.**"

"I ain't out of it yet."

Natsu commented as Hades and Gildarts could finally see him again. While Hades had expected Natsu to have survived, both because of his magic, and because of his status as a Wizard Saint, he hadn't expected there to be as little damage as there was.

Natsu only had a few shallow cuts on his arms and legs, having managed to get into a defensive position the moment Hades spell activated.

"Warren, I know you can still hear me thanks to **Telepathy**. Don't let anyone leave the Christina. Gildarts and I both are about to go all out."

As he spoke Natsu's skin slowly became more and more red. As far as they could tell his skin was now the same color as molten magma. But they could see that his body was now covered in scales. Even though he was standing in such a way that his hair shaded his eyes, Hades was quick to notice that Natsu's pupils were now vertical slits.

But he wasn't done yet. Heat poured off of Natsu as the air around him began to warp, making it hard to see anything. The earth around his feet had become slag. All in all it was a pretty terrifying image to the two of them, even before Natsu's signature flames swirled around him protectively.

"**Dragon Force**."

**Meanwhile**

"You mean to tell me the shaking we've been feeling was caused by them while playing around?!"

Lucy shouted as her eyes became the size of dinner plates. Of course she knew Natsu was tough, they had been on a team together before he adopted Michiko. But to think he had gotten to the point he was part of a trio that had been making Tenrou Island shake as if there was an earthquake…

"What the hell does that ash-for-brains idiot think he's doing making the rest of us stay out of this."

Gray commented despite the fact he was still heavily banged up from confronting Ultear.

Only a few people present felt bad for him when Michiko kicked him in the shin for bad mouthing her daddy.

"Gray I know you don't want to believe this, but Natsu is far, far stronger than you now."

Cana stated with a sigh. The members of Blue Pegasus that were helping them all nodded their heads rapidly. Gajeel and Wendy, who had to help Erza fall back to the Christina were nodding as well. If even the Iron Dragon Slayer was agreeing to the difference in power level, then everyone else that had been present on Tenrou island when it vanished had to agree as well.

"But is he going to be strong enough to keep up with Gildarts?"

Freed questioned, feeling a bit unsure of the answer. But then they all had their eyes drawn towards the pillar of flames that shot into the sky. The level of power they had felt from the clashing trio before was high, but now?

"Do you need me to answer that question now?"

Cana said with a smile. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn't help but brag about her husbands strength so before anyone could say anything to her question she spoke up again.

"It's been seven years without you guys after all. Natsu had to shoulder most of the burden, so of course he's far more powerful. Besides he mastered how to use **Dragon Force**, the strongest spell available to Dragon Slayers. Not to mention he's picked up and mastered a second element."

Of everyone that had been on Tenrou Island Gajeel was the only one not surprised, though that was because he already knew about it. He and Natsu both had gained a secondary element at the same time.

"Salamander's gonna be fine."

"Mommy who is Salamander?"

Michiko asked Cana after hearing Gajeel's words.

"That's what people used to call your daddy sweetie. But that's not his only moniker anymore. When he revealed his new **Earth Dragon Slayer** magic, Fiore re-branded him to 'the Volcanic Dragon'. Though since he still mainly uses his **Fire Dragon Slayer** magic most people still call him Salamander."

Though she was looking at her daughter at first, Cana looked at the other members of Fairy Tail when she mentioned Natsu's new nickname.

Ichiya and the other members of Blue Pegasus wondered why she didn't mention that Natsu had also become a Wizard Saint, though they didn't say anything either. The situation at hand was more important really. They had managed to stabilize Makarov, so he was no longer at risk of dying from his somewhat sudden heart attack. But he wasn't going to be happy to have to sit things out when he finally woke back up. Not to mention Gray was in rough shape, though Jet and Droy weren't in much better condition. Erza was also slightly ragged at this point.

Also, there was the fact that they didn't have anyone that could keep up with Natsu, Gildarts, and master Hades. But with the fight escalating there was a chance that they'd have to protect themselves from debris and errant magic. Really if they had to fight again, the best combatants they had were Wendy and Gajeel. The two Dragon Slayers had scoured the island just to make sure all the peons from Grimiore Heart had been defeated as well, but thanks to the mass of magic present on the island even they weren't confident enough with their senses to say that they'd dealt with everyone.

"If I may suggest. With how things are getting we might need to lift off. With the Christina in the air, we don't have to worry about possibly getting caught up in the fight."

Eve commented as he looked towards Cana. Sure Blue Pegasus wasn't part of the fight, but they weren't going to sit by and watch either. He just didn't mention the real reason he was suggesting the get moving. From the air they'd be able to get a better look at how the fight was going, and they could move closer to Grimiore Hearts airship. If they could do so unnoticed it would be possible to send someone in to destroy the dark guild's 'Demon Heart' and make it so Natsu and Gildarts wouldn't be drawn into a battle of attrition.

"Alright. Also now that I'm thinking about it, has anyone tried to contact the magic council to tell them about Grimiore Hearts attack? Given the fact we've beaten them down, it might be a good idea for the council to come and arrest them before they can escape."

The current guild master of Fairy Tail responded. Hibiki having expected that someone would think about informing the magic council sooner or later nodded.

"Yeah. I sent a message to them a while ago. They should have a few ships on the way already."

**With the Fight**

When the area around Natsu started to become normal again and they could see him clearly Gildarts and Hades both were shocked by the raw power he was exuding. Not to mention the massive jump in physical abilities.

Natsu had gone on the offensive the moment he had fully activated **Dragon Force**, unleashing a powerful blitz of fists on Hades. In fact the older wizard could only groan in pain as he felt his bones becoming powder. While Gildarts was thinking about how he might have to surrender his title as the Ace of Fairy Tail soon.

"**Volcanic Dragon's Talon**!"

Even his voice had changed, having a slight echo to it and deepening in tone slightly, they discovered as Natsu brought his heel down on Hades head with a growl.

"Not bad Natsu. You might even be able to go toe to toe with me now."

Gildarts smiled. But Natsu was ignoring him. His senses were screaming at him that the fight wasn't over yet.

"I didn't expect you to have **Dragon Force** under your belt just yet… It seems Fairy Tail will surpass expectations right up until the end."

Hades voice was slightly muffled since he was faced down, but Natsu and Gildarts both had to frown. Gildarts had been blocking out all the telepathic conversations so he could focus, but Natsu had completely forgotten about the mentioning of Grimiore Heart's device that was called the 'Demon Heart.'

"So long as our 'Demon Heart' is pumping magic, I am immortal. With my own heart inside that machine I cannot die without it's destruction. My magic is infinite. But still. I must commend the two of you for pushing me this far."

Slowly getting back up, Hades grinned darkly. He had completely recovered from the onslaught Natsu had just unleashed on him.

"So what I'm hearing is we just need to destroy your ship while bashing you senseless."

Gildarts spoke as he rolled his neck. He had already let his magic free completely, so there was nothing left to prevent him from unleashing his strongest attacks.

"**All Crush.**"

With one of his palms facing Hades, Gildarts let loose a burst of extremely dense and powerful magic. It caused the dark mage to be pushed back so jarringly fast that Natsu and Gildarts had to rush forward just to keep him in their sights. It blew Hades back far enough that they could see the airship that Grimiore Heart owned.

Grinning at what he figured Gildarts was planning to do Natsu sucked air in.

"**Volcanic Dragon's Roar**!"

Molten earth spewed from his mouth. While he was aiming for Hades, Natsu knew the man had recovered enough from Gildarts attack to dodge it. But that was fine. They'd destroy his ship piece by piece, slowly tilting the fight into their favor.

Though Gildarts wasn't going to make it easy for Hades to dodge Natsu attack, unleashing a second and third burst of **All Crush** to keep him on the defensive. However things weren't going to go as planned.

Hades dodged Natsu's roar, and tanked through Gildarts extremely powerful attack while unleashing one of his own.

"**Amaterasu: Formula ****28**!"

But he didn't aim for Natsu, no Hades was attacking Gildarts this time.

"Gah!"

The sound of a pained gasp left the orange haired mans mouth as the magic shock wave enveloped him. While it was able to make him cry out, it wasn't that bad so he easily powered through it before trying to attack.

"**Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean.**"

"This again? Don't you have any other spells?"

Hades taunted as he side stepped Gildarts fist and put his hand right up to the side of the orange haired man's head. Quickly unleashing an **Explosive Bullet**, he tried to take the **Crash** mage out of the fight. But now that his magic wasn't being restrained at all, it absorbed and even reflected the spell.

"What can I say, **Crash** magic is extremely dangerous but easy to shape. So just by letting it leak out from me I can do pretty much anything. If that's not enough then I'll start using real spells."

Even though he knew this was a serious fight, Gildarts could help but be playful. After all, things were in his and Natsu's favor.

"**Earth Dragon's Grand Impact"**

Natsu interrupted the teasing with his own attack. Both of his palms were forced into Hades side. The power behind it knocked the air from his lungs as the dark mage smashed into the side of his airship. Luckily for him, the ship was sturdy enough that he only bounced off the side.

"Let's try this one then. **Grand Crash**!"

Clapping his hands together Gildarts directed his magic to take the form of a thin vertical blade that sliced through everything it came into contact with. Even the airship, that was behind Hades who had managed to jump away in time.

"**Amaterasu: Formula 54**!"

Upping the power of his attacks Hades unleashed the same spell twice, once on Natsu and once on Gildarts. While it was even worse than the previous one, Gildarts was able to endure. Natsu wasn't as affected thanks to his scales, but it still did a fair bit of damage.

"**Earth Dragon's ****Tremor**!"

Stomping harshly, Natsu caused a small earthquake, as pillars of stone rose and fell, making the terrain completely uneven. A few of the spear like pillars ripped through the metal that made up Grimiore Heart's airship causing it to start to fall apart. But Natsu wasn't done yet.

"With the flames on my left hand, and the flames on my right hand… Bring them together, **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame**!"

It was at this point that Hades realized they were trying to destroy his airship in an attempt to break his 'Demon's Heart' so they could beat him without turning it into a battle of attrition.

Pointing both of his hands towards the two Fairy Tail mages Hades smirked.

"**Bullet Barrage**! **Piercing Bullet**! **Explosive Bullet**!"

Combining the different types of bullets he could make into his storm of bullets, Hades used his attack as cover to get in close. With a flick of his wrist several chains of pure magic began to wrap around Natsu. He tried to tie Gildarts up as well, but the **Crash** mages defensive barrier of magic was too strong.

"Fine then. It's time you took a nap anyway.** Amaterasu: Formula 80!**"

With Gildarts distracted Hades turned to Natsu. He had noticed how his formula 54 had only just managed to get through Natsu's scales, leaving the equivalent of a paper cut really. So he decided that it was either ramp up the formula level, or try and deal internal damage. Thus with his **Chain** magic he was throwing the Dragon Slayer around as if he were a rag doll.

Of course it wasn't working like he wanted to as Natsu was extremely durable, but until Gildarts made his move, Natsu was basically Hades' play thing.

"**Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Absolute Heaven**"

Intending to use his strongest attack to buy them enough time to recover and find the 'Demon's Heart' Gildarts tried to hit Hades from behind. But that was really what the older mage was waiting for. At the last possible second he threw Natsu into the path of the attack, planing to have Gildarts ruin the Dragon Slayers scales for him.

"Oh shit."

Natsu and Gildarts both said in unison right before the bright flash of light from the explosion Gildarts spell caused prevented them from seeing anything. Hades couldn't take advantage of the situation either as there was far more power behind that attack than he thought, as he had to raise his arms defensively as he planted his feet to avoid getting blown back.

When they were able to see again, everyone noticed how Natsu's left arm was hanging limply at his side. Gildarts was surprised that the pink haired man wasn't pulp, and Hades was just surprised to see that Natsu had partially defended against it.

"**Amaterasu: Formula 100**!"

But Hades recovered quickly and unleashed the strongest level of his **Amaterasu** spell. Since Natsu was down an arm it would be harder for him to defend, so Hades chose to target Gildarts this time.

The pain was immense, easily being one of the most dangerous attacks he's ever taken. In fact it caused blood to begin to drip from his mouth after dealing a fair bit of internal damage. Unlike Natsu he didn't even have enough time to try and defend himself, not that it would have mattered. Gashes were covering his body as most of his clothes had become shreds that were floating in the breeze.

"You okay over there Gildarts?"

Natsu commented as he lunged towards Hades in an attempt to buy Gildarts time to recover a bit, though he didn't get an answer.

Molten earth encased his fists as he used his "**Volcanic Dragons Secret Art Blazing Brimstone: ****Wrathful ****Fist****.**" As his fist made contact, the island shook. A loud explosion nearly broke their eardrums, as if they were standing inside of a volcano while it was erupting.

"I've grown tired of this. It's time to end your struggle."

Hades commented as Natsu was thrown back by a burst of magic. Reaching up the leader of Grimiore Hear removed his eye patch. As the lid covering the eye beneath it shifted upwards, Natsu and Gildarts both were treated to the sight of a glowing red orb.

"I'm going to kill off magic so the world can be freed from the influence of Zeref. Sadly I must use the same power as the Black Mage to achieve this. But if it means freeing the world from that madman I would gladly sacrifice myself."

As he spoke the level of magic that he had skyrocketed enough to make Natsu shake. Gildarts would have been trembling in fear as well, but he hadn't managed to recover from the **Amaterasu: Formula 100** so he was just lying there on the ground, eyes wide as he looked up towards the slowly approaching guild master of Grimiore Heart. Everything about him had changed. Before he just felt like a powerful mage, but now, even to Gildarts his very presence was screaming the word 'monster.' His magic now held a much darker feeling, especially as it circled around the man almost as if it were alive.

**Back on the Christina**

"Shit that's bad."

Meredy commented as they watched the fight from overhead. Thanks to vision Lacrima that were installed in the airship, they were able see without much difficulty. Cana would have berated the pink haired woman for cursing, but Michiko was too busy watching over Makarov to be paying attention to the discussion.

"What's wrong?"

Cana asked as a chill ran down her spine.

"Hades removed his eye patch. It works as a limiter and a seal for his most powerful and dangerous magic. I'm not sure when, but the eye was removed and in it's place he put a special lacrima that lets him use a very dark and dangerous magic called the **Black Arts**."

Levy being a bookworm zeroed in on those words. She'd read about all kinds of magic, and so she knew it was a forbidden type of magic.

"That's not good. **Black Arts** is the same type of magic that Zeref was known for."

The moment they heard the blue haired woman speak, several people went pale.

"Yes. I believe he once said 'To kill a monster, one must become a monster.' In fact, master Hades' goal is to destroy Zeref, who is immortal thanks to an ancient type of magic that has been forgotten since even before the most ancient of 'Lost Magic' was created. But to do so he thinks magic must be erased from the world. After destroying every other trace of magic he intends to battle Zeref and destroy him with the **Black Arts** before killing himself to make up for what he did."

Meredy commented as she fell to her knees.

A few people were concerned about that, as it seemed as if she was giving up.

"He didn't want to use this against anyone but Zeref as it weakens the user the more it used. But now, there is no point to fighting back. Any form of life that is touched by his magic will now be under his control. Completely and utterly."

"So?"

Cana pressed, wanting to know just how dangerous it was. After all it was both her husband and her father fighting Hades who was using that magic.

"If you fall under his control he can simply look at you and say 'die', and you will. Hades has taken to calling it more of a curse than a form of magic since there has never been an exception to it's ability to kill."

Gajeel and Wendy both shared a look before walking away. Somehow, Cana knew what they were thinking. If Hades was really connected to the 'Demon's Heart' thingy that Meredy had told them about, then destroying it should make him pause, giving Natsu and Gildarts the opening they need.

"What the hell are you two doing?!"

Gray shouted after them. But neither one said a word. Instead it was Makarov who spoke up. His words making everyone aware that he had woken up.

"They're going to do whatever they have to, to ensure their friends and family survive this."

"When did you wake up master?"

Freed asked, as he tried to make the older man lie back down and rest so as not to delay his recovery.

"In time to hear about what Precht is doing."

"Who is Precht?"

Lucy questioned, confused by the sorrow she heard in Makarov's voice when he said the name.

"Precht Gaebolg, the former guild master of Fairy Tail. He's changed so much since I last saw him, but Hades, is definetely him."

Thanks to Makarov providing the distraction none of them were paying attention to the screen. So none of them saw what happened, only feeling the tremor caused by the shock waves from the fight as they rocked the Christina. Of course some of them tried to see when they felt the shaking, but given that all they could see from the lacrima was a bright dome, they gave up, thinking someone just caused an absolutely massive explosion.

**With the Two Dragon Slayers**

"Since they brought the fight to their airship, this will be pretty tough."

"Yeah. There's a chance we could get caught up in the chaos."

Wendy replied when the dark haired man mentioned the fight below them.

"You sure you can handle this?"

"Gajeel, I'm just as much of a Dragon Slayer as you and Natsu are. Don't belittle me like that."

Hearing the determination in her voice, he couldn't help but smile.

"Alright then. Let's get this done."

The two shared a nod as they opened up a side door that was meant to be used as an emergency exit. Despite the danger, they knew that something had to be done if not just Natsu, but all of them were to survive the onslaught from Hades magic. Especially if it could do what they'd been told the **Black Arts** were able to do. Yet as they opened the door an absolutely massive explosion caused the Christina to rock in the air. It was both that large and that destructive, that the shock waves were able to bother them, while they were so high up above the island.

Not saying anything the two of them instantly jumped out. Wendy had her eyes closed as she was focusing her magic so as to slow their decent, but Gajeel was able to see the ground clearly. At least for the most part.

He wasn't sure who did what, but there wasn't much left of Grimiore Heart's airship other than a pile of molten slag. Then just to the side of the remains of the airship, there was a huge crater, where he could only just make out the shapes of the three combatants.

When they were close enough that Wendy felt they could still move after landing she cut off her magic and opened her eyes to finish the drop. But as she felt her feet touch the ground, she was already being tugged along by Gajeel.

"I wasn't able to see them too clearly, but if that didn't finish the fight it doesn't matter. They need medical attention right fucking now."

As they entered the crater Wendy rushed towards Natsu and Gildarts who were side by side. From a quick look she knew Natsu shielded Gildarts from the explosion, but even then, they were both in bad shape.

The metal limbs that the **Crash** mage had were gone and the rest of his body was torn up badly. He seemed to be having trouble breathing, even while unconscious. As Wendy carefully cataloged his injuries so she'd know where to begin she noticed the reason for his uneasy breathing. Gildarts had taken enough internal damage that his lungs were starting to fill with blood. two of his ribs were broken.

Natsu's **Dragon Force** had already faded, but it had been active long enough to jump start his healing. Unlike Gildarts both of his arms were broken, and his body wasn't as covered in cuts and gashes, though he still had a few. But as Gajeel carefully checked Natsu's injuries while Wendy got to work healing Gildarts he discovered that Natsu had a few broken ribs, and if he was feeling it correctly one of them had punctured his right lung. There were spots that he noticed showed signs of being caused by internal bleeding, as well. After being thrown around like a rag doll for a bit Natsu had several bruises forming too, and Gajeel was certain that the pink haired man was going to have a concision as well.

Given that they hadn't been attacked or even heard any form of movement from the prone form of Hades, Wendy and Gajeel both knew that massive explosion had ended the fight in Fairy Tail's favor. If it weren't for the shape Natsu and Gildarts were in, they'd have let out relieved sighs.

Since he couldn't really do anything to help Wendy with healing the two, Gildarts just relayed what he noticed about Natsu's injuries before standing up and protectively keeping an eye out. Given the condition of the two, and the fact Wendy would be too preoccupied healing them, he made sure to look out for the others, though he was still on guard just in case there was someone else that would show up and try to fight.

What went unnoticed to him was the shock of black hair that was watching from a distance.

'_You've certain grown strong Natsu. But it still isn't enough. Not yet.'_

* * *

S.R: Okay so to anyone wondering why Hades was so strong, and why things ended with Natsu and Gildarts in rough shape I do have a reason. The 'Demon's Heart'. Thanks to it, there was no way that they weren't going to get roughed up. It was just a question of how much. But if I'm honest with you guys, I wanted an enemy that manages to fuck Natsu up almost as badly as he does them. I mean yeah, it should be obvious how Natsu will come out on top with his fights, but he can't always breeze through it.

So I decided Hades would be tough even when Natsu and Gildarts tag teamed him. He's got the knowledge and power to break through Natsu's scales when in **Dragon Force**, plus infinite magic thanks to the 'Demon's Heart'. Of course it'll be rare, but aside from the obvious ones (Acnologia and Zeref), there needs to be another one or two. Anyway I'll see you guys next time.


End file.
